COLUMBIA  LIBRARIES  0FF8ITE 

aR()i;m);\-«)i 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/historyofcityofnOOIamb_0 


'\T     l.J 


[Price  50  conts. 


NETW  VORK.  AND  CHIC^A^GO 


Copjmght,  1876,  A.  S.  Barnbs  &  Co. 
SOLID    OlSTL'S'    B^S'    STJB3CR,II=TI01ST. 


FORT    NEW    AM-STERDAAV 


H^hen  you  leave,  please  leave  this  hook 

Because  it  has  been  said 
"Ever'lhin^  comes  ('  him  who  loaits 

£:<cept  a  loaned  book." 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


INTRODUCTORY   CHAPTER. 


EARLY  DISCOVERIES. 

Manhattan  Island.  —  Eaiu.ikst  Kecouixs  of  Amkuka.  —Tin-:  Icelandeks.  —  Tirr,  Fif- 
teenth Centuuy.  —Venetian  Commerce.  —  Christopher  Columbus.  —  Exglani).  — 
The  Cabots.  — The  Portuguese.  —  Vasco  daGama.  —  The  Fishermen  of  Brittany 
and  Normandy.  —  Newfoundland.  —  The  Spaniards.  —  Verrazano.  —  Estevan 
Gomez.  —The  English  again.  —The  Dutch.  —  Belgium.  —  U-sselincx  and  joiin 
OF  Barneveld.  — The  E.\st  and  West  India  Companies. 


TAVO  lumdred  and  sixty-five  years  ago  the  site  of  the  city  of  New 
York  was  a  rocky,  wooded,  cauoe-shaped,  thirteen-iuile-loug  ishiud, 
bouuded  by  two  salt  rivers  and  a  bay,  and  peopled  by  dusky  skin-clad 
savages.  A  half-dozen  pt)rtable  wigwam  villages,  some  ])atches  of  to- 
bacco and  corn,  and  a  few  bark  canoes  drawn  iip  on  the  shore,  gave 
little  promise  of  our  present  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  streets,  vast 
property  interests,  and  the  encircling  forest  of  shipping.  "Wliat  have  l)een 
the  successive  steps  of  the  extraordinary  transformation  ? 

If  the  lineage,  education,  experiences,  and  character  of  a  distinguished 
personage  are  replete  with  interest  and  instruction,  of  how  much  greater 
moment  is  the  history  of  a  city,  which  is  biography  in  its  most  absolute 
sense  ?  New  York  needs  no  introduction  to  the  reader.  Tt  occupies  an 
individual  position  among  the  great  cities  of  the  world.  Tt  is  unlike 
any  of  its  contemporaries.  Its  population  is  a  singular  intermixture  of 
elements  from  all  nations.  Its  institutions  are  the  outgrowth  of  older 
civilizations  ;  its  wisdom  and  public  opinion  largely  the  reflection  of  a 
previous  intelligence.  All  the  ideas,  principles,  feelings,  and  traditions 
which  ever  made  their  appearance  have  here  found  a  common  field  in 
which  to  .struggle  for  existence,  and  the  result,  in  so  far  as  it  is  devel- 
oped, has  naturally  been  "  the  survival  of  the  fittest."  It  would  not  be 
fair,  however,  to  demand  full  fruits  from  so  young  a  tree.     New  York 


12  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

is  a  city  in  the  vigor  of  its  youth,  its  final  growth  yet  to  be  attained ; 
tlius  its  history  the  more  especially  deserves  carefid  and  elaborate  treat- 
ment. If  we  would  con-ectly  estimate  the  men  who  laid  its  foundation- 
stones,  we  must  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  age  in  which  they  lived, 
and  become  to  a  certain  degree  familiar  with  the  world's  progress  at 
that  period.  If  we  would  appreciate  their  proceedings,  we  must  learn 
somewhat  of  national  characteristics  and  the  practical  operation  of  gov- 
ernment and  laws,  in  the  various  countries  which  they  represented.  The 
reader,  therefore,  is  invited  first  to  a  brief  ancestral  disquisition,  care 
being  taken  to  make  plain  the  caixses  Avhich  led  to  the  discovery  and 
settlement  of  Manhattan  Island. 

The  earliest  record  of  the  existence  of  the  American  Continent  is  found 
among  the  Literary  legacies  of  the  Icelanders  of  the  tenth  century,  who 
were  superior  to  the  continental  people  of  that  age  both  in  mental  vigor 
and  physical  endurance.  But  their  discoveries  Avere  the  result  of  hap- 
hazard adventure  rather  than  scientific  probabilities,  and  their  efforts  at 
colonization  were  signal  failures.  From  their  geographical  works  we  find 
that  they  supposed  these  western  lands  to  be  a  part  of  Europe ;  and, 
while  the  accounts  of  their  expeditions  were  carefully  preserved,  not  a 
line  was  committed  to  parchment  until  many  centuries  had  passed,  so 
that  there  is  very  little  reason  for  presuming  that  succeeding  generations 
were  materially  benefited  by  reason  of  them. 

Christopher  Columbus  appeared  upon  the  stage  of  action  just 
as  the  world  was  waking  from  the  long  sleep  of  the  INIiddle  Ages. 
]\Iarco  Polo  had  made  his  famous  journey  across  the  whole  longitude  of 
Asia,  and  the  manuscript  account  of  his  travels,  dictated  to  a  fellow-pris- 
oner in  a  Genoese  prison,  was  beginning  to  attract  attention  to  the  vast 
and  fertile  countries  he  described,  —  the  cities  running  over  with  diamonds, 
emeralds,  rubies,  and  sapphires,  the  palaces  with  floors  and  roofs  of  solid 
gold,  and  the  rivers  hot  enough  to  boil  eggs. 

The  new  epoch  in  the  art  of  printing  was  also  scattering  information  of 
various  kinds.  The  books  of  the  ancients  were  reproduced,  and  those  who 
could  afford  to  read  —  for  it  was  a  luxuiy  confined  entirely  to  the  upper 
and  wealthy  classes  —  discovered  that  geometrical  principles  had  been  ap- 
plied to  the  construction  of  maps  by  Ptolemy  in  the  second  century,  and 
that  the  places  of  the  earth  had  been  planned  out  and  described  according 
to  their  several  latitudes  and  longitudes.  Some  geographical  knowl- 
edge was  interwoven  with  a  vast  amount  of  absurd  fiction  and  very  little 
ascertained  fact,  but  the  desire  for  more  light  became  so  great  that  those 
same  curious  old  maps  were  exhumed  and  copied  and  circulated.  They 
iiuist  have  })een  appalling  to  the  pioneers  of  maritime  discovery,  for  they 


VKSICK.  -{'OlJMHrs. 


13 


hrisllod  IVoiii  Olio  ciul  In  llii'  oLIkt  witli  lioriid  loriiin  iiiid  li^'urcs,  ami  n-j.- 
resi!i»U!(l  till!  Occident  lus  the  home  of  deiuous.  A  mighty  impulse  had 
already  been  j,Mven  to  navi;,'ation  by  means  of  the  magnetic  needle,  and  the 
newly  printed  ancient  stories  aljout  Carthaginian  sailors  who  had  "  voy- 
aged throngh  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  and  found  a  strange  country  suj)- 
posed  to  he  Asia,"  and  of  adventurous  (Ireeks  and  Persians,  who  had 
coasted  Africa,  Klled  the  very  air  with  speculative  romance. 

India  licyond  liu;  {Ranges  was  the  mythical  land  of  jiromise.  Its  treas- 
ures cauie  IVoni  iiand  to  hand  through  caravans  and  middle  men  and 
agents  to  Constantinople,  with  which  city  the  Italian  States  were  in  con- 
stant connnercial  connnunication.  But  some  of  the  shrewdest  of  the 
Venetian  and  Genoese  merchants  thought  to  remedy  the  evils  of  the  pain- 
fully long  anil  perilous  overland  route,  and  projected  enterprises  by  way 
of  the  Persian  Gulf  and  the  Mediterranean  and  Red  Seas.  They  suc- 
ceeded, but  were  obliged  to  pay  a  heavy  tribute  in  Egypt,  and  no  Chris- 
tian was  at  any  time  allowed  to  pass  througli  tlie  Egyptian  or  Moham- 
medan countries.  Thus  the  ])roducer  and  I  hi'  cunsniner  were  ettectually 
kejit  asunder 


1651  1620  1560  1005  1572  Iot5 

Group  of  ladies,  showing  fashions  of  the  day. 

Constantinople  fell  in  1453,  and  from  that  time  the  business  monopoly 
of  the  Indies  centred  with  the  Venetians.  Venice  became  the  great 
Western  emporium,  and  attained  such  marvellous  riches  and  rose  to  such  a 
height  of  power  and  grandeur  as  never  were  equalled  either  before  or  since. 
The  costliness  oi'  her  magnificent  buildings,  the  elegance  of  furniture  and 
decorations,  and  the  style  of  life  among  her  citizens,  was  quite  beyond  de- 
scription. The  learned  Christians  of  Constantinople,  who  had  fled  before 
the  Tinks  into  Italv,  became  her  schoolmasters,  and  mathematics,  astron- 


14  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

oniy,  and  the  art  of  navigation  developed  with  singular  rapidity.  People 
began  to  talk  about  a  new  channel  of  communication  with  the  Oriental 
countries,  where  they  could  change  even  the  bark  of  trees  into  money. 

Columbus  had  for  his  birthright  the  intellectual  restlessness  of  the  age. 
As  a  boy,  his  brain  was  tilled  with  unformed  projects  and  scientific 
uncertainties.  The  new  theories  as  well  as  the  new  learning  took  root 
within  his  mind  and  grew  with  his  growth.  He  read  what  Aristotle 
had  written  about  the  small  space  of  sea  between  Spain  and  the  eastern 
coast  of  India.  He  speculated  over  what  Seneca  had  said  about  the  ease 
with  which  that  sea  might  be  passed  in  a  few  days  by  the  aid  of  favor- 
able winds.  He  pondered  again  and  again  the  hypothetical  doctrine  that 
the  earth  was  a  sphere.  He  became  a  sailor,  and  applied  his  energies  to 
the  study  of  nautical  science. 

Meanwhile  years  rolled  on.  Islands  in  the  Atlantic  were  discovered, 
and  the  coast  of  Europe,  from  Iceland  to  the  Cape  Verde  Islands,  was 
becoming  known.  Columbus  had  made  several  important  voyages  him- 
self On  one  occasion  he  visited  Iceland,  which  was  now  a  dependent 
and  neglected  province  of  Denmark,  and  stayed  some  time  in  the  country 
and  conversed  with  the  inhabitants.  Whether  he  obtained  any  knowl- 
edge of  the  early  adventures  of  the  Northmen  it  is  impossible  to  deter- 
mine. But  after  his  return  his  fancies  seem  to  have  taken  more  definite 
shape.  The  question  finally  settled  itself  to  his  satisfaction  that  the  glit- 
tering gold  regions  could  be  reached  l^y  sailing  due  west ;  and  then  he 
conceived  one  of  the  boldest  designs  in  human  history,  and  pursued  it 
to  its  accomplishment  with  the  firm  resolve  of  a  lofty  genius.  It  Avas 
from  want  of  a  correct  estimate  of  longitude  that,  like  every  one  else 
from  Ptolemy  down,  he  was  so  vastly  decei\'ed  as  to  the  size  of  the 
globe.  He  was  a  clever  politician,  and  danced  attendance  before  in- 
credulous kings  and  supercilious  courtiers  until  time  whitened  his  locks, 
so  pronounced  were  his  convictions,  and  so  enthusiastic  was  he  in  the 
success  of  his  enterprise,  could  he  but  get  funds  to  put  it  in  execution. 
But  alas  !  he  could  not  convince  one  man  that  it  was  possible  to  sail 
west  and  reach  east.  It  remained  for  him  to  find  in  a  woman's  mind 
the  capacity  to  appreciate  and  the  Liberality  to  patronize  him;  and  at 
last  he  launched  forth  over  unknown  seas,  trusting  to  his  own  stout  heart 
and  a  mariner's  compass,  and,  reaching  an  unknown  land,  planted  the 
chief  milestone  in  the  advance  of  civilization.  He  aimed  for  Zipango, 
and  to  his  dying  day  believed  he  had  found  it,  or  its  outlying  isles,  very 
nearly  where  his  calculations  had  placed  it.  Never  was  man's  mistake 
more  prolific  in  great  results. 

Europe  was  stunned  with  admiration,  and  the  Pope  of  Pome,  who  up 


TIIJ':   CMIOTS.  15 

to  Ihiil  time  ri'i^aiiU'd  liiinHCill"  us  {\\v  Ir^^iil  proprietor  of  all  tin;  rciil  t'stute 
in  C'hristi'iuloiii,  issiu'd  a  hull,'  the  umttiriiil  i)art.s  of  which  arc  still  ex- 
tant, <i;rantiii>;  the  new  territory  to  S]tiiin. 

It  is  intercstin<4  to  note  how  all  the  Lircat  plans  and  jn-ojects  of  the 
period  tended  and  ver^'cd  to  one  point.  There  was  a  N'enetian  niercluuit 
liviiifv  in  Hristol,  En>,dand,  who  had  paid  particidar  attention  to  science, 
and  who  had  lonj^  housed  in  his  heart  a  scheme  of  '^o\\\<^  to  Cathay  hy 
the  north.  It  was  John  Cahot.  He  was  incited  to  active  effort  by  the 
prospect  of  obtaining  s})ices  and  other  valuable  articles  of  trade  inde- 
pendent of  haughty  Venice.  His  son  Sebastian,  then  a  promising  youth 
about  nineteen  years  of  age,'^  was,  like  his  sire,  stinuilated  by  the  fame  of 
Columbus,  and  anxious  to  attempt  some  notable  thing.  He  was  a  scholar, 
had  been  thoroughly  drilled  in  mathematics,  astronomy,  and  the  art  of 
navigation,  and  accompanied  the  eUler  Cabot  to  the  Court  of  Henry  VII., 
in  order  io  obtain  the  royal  con,sent  to  their  proposed  researches.  Henry 
is  well  known  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  penurious  monarchs  who  ever 
sat  u})on  a  throne.  He  listened  graciously,  and,  ujion  condition  that  the 
whole  enterprise  should  be  conducted  at  their  own  private  expense,  issued 
a  j)atent  guaranteeing  ])rotection  and  privileges.  lUit  he  cunningly  re- 
served to  himself  one  fifth  of  the  jn'otits.'^ 

The  Cabots  first  steered  directly  for  Iceland,  wliere  they  sto 
ibr  a  tew  days.  For  some  years  a  steady  and  ]>rotitii 
had  been  carried  on  between  Bristol  and  that  country.  Iceland,  al- 
though the  heroic  age  of  the  Xorthmen  had  long  since  passed,  was  pretty 
well  peopled,  and  its  inluvbitants  had  many  wants  which  their  northern 
land  was  unable  to  supply.  The  English  sold  them  cloth,  corn,  wheat, 
wines,  etc.,  and  took  fish,  chiefly  cod,  in  exchange.  Some  of  the  Nonvegian 
authors  say  that  in  April,  1419,  a  heavy  snow-storm  destroyed  more  than 

^   Fattd' s  Lmo  of  Nations,  Book  I.  Chap.  18. 

-  Humboldt,  Kritschc  Untcrsnchumjen,  Vol.  II.  p.  445. 

^  It  is  a  mooted  (juestioii  whether  John  Cabot,  the  father,  was  the  leader  of  the  expedition 
in  14i>7.  Sebastian  Cabot  lived  for  more  than  sixty  years  afterwards,  and  became  a  cele- 
brateil  personage  ;  his  fame  so  far  eclipsed  that  of  his  father  as  to  cause  much  to  be  accred- 
ited to  him  that  his  father  actually  performed.  But  his  extreme  youth  and  inexperience 
at  that  time  would  hardly  induce  the  belief  tliat  the  shrewd  Henry  VII.  would  intru.st 
him  with  such  an  important  command.  The  Venetian  ambassador's  letters  of  1497, 
preserved  in  tlie  Sforza  archives  of  Milan,  furnish  direct  evidence  in  favor  of  the  father. 
(Pdsqualigo's  Letter,  August  23,  1497.)  M.  d'Avezac,  an  able  French  writer,  has  found  what 
he  esteems  sufficient  proof  to  establish  the  fact  that  the  Cabots'  fii-st  voyage  wa.s  made  in 
1494,  when  they  only  saw  land  ;  the  second  in  1497,  when  they  navigated  three  hundred 
leagues  along  the  coast;  the  third  in  1498,  by  Sebiistian  alone;  and  the  fourth  in  1.517. 
M.  d'Avezac  to  Leonard  Woods,  dated  Paris,  December  15,  1868,  in  Doc.  Hist.  Muinr ; 
by  Willis.  But  the  evidence  of  any  voyage  in  1494  is  so  slight  that  all  ^illusion  to  it  is 
omitted  in  the  body  of  this  work. 


16  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY  OF  iXEW   YORK. 

i 
twenty-five  English  vessels  on  the  coast  of  Iceland,  which  gives  us  an 
idea  of  how  brisk  their  commerce  must  have  been.     From  this  point  the 
Ca1)ots  proceeded  westward,  toiling,  through  mountains  of  ice,  hut  confi- 
dent of  final  success.     On  the  24th  of  June  they  saw  land  which 

June  24.  "^ 

they  supposed  to  be  an  island,  but,  finding  it  ran  a  long  distance 
towards  the  north,  and  getting  short  of  provision  and  into  trouble  with 
their  crew,  they  turned  back  to  England.  Cabot  says  in  his  journal  that 
it  was  a  great  disappointment  to  them.  Tliey  were  absent  from  England 
only  about  three  months,  and  had  disco^'ered  a  continent,  but  its  bleak, 
uninviting  coasts  loomed  up  only  as  a  hateful  barrier  in  the  way  of  the 
diamond  fields  beyond. 

The  Portuguese  were'  at  this  time  the  most  enlightened  nation  of 
Europe.  They  had  very  materially  enlarged  the  scoj^e  of  geo- 
graphical knowledge  by  daring  voyages  along  the  coast  of  Africa,  under 
the  direction  of  Prince  Henry,  third  son  of  John  the  Great.  Their  vessels 
were  small  but  well-built,  and  their  seamen  dashed  safely  along  tempestu- 
ous shores  and  explored  inlets  and  rivers.  Don  Emanuel  the  Fortunate 
made  prodigious  efforts  to  extend  the  commerce  and  dominion  of  Portugal, 
and  his  pet  problem  was  a  passage  to  India  around  Africa.  The  exploit 
was  actually  performed  in  1498  by  Vasco  da  Gama.  He  returned  to 
Portugal  with  his  four  ships  laden  with  spices,  silks,  and  other  attractive 
merchandise.  All  Europe  was  in  the  wildest  excitement,  and  the  unsuc- 
cessful venture  of  the  Cabots  was  hardly  noticed.  A  papal  buU  granted 
to  Portugal  the  sole  right  to  trade  in  the  Indies,  which  were  treated  as 
new  discoveries.  Alas  for  Venice !  It  was  her  mortal  stab,  and  from 
that  day  her  prosperity  rapidly  waned.  The  Portuguese  established  them- 
selves at  the  East,  made  Cochin  their  capital,  appointed  Vasco  da  Gama 
governor  of  the  colony,  and  for  nearly  a  century  they  sujiplied  the  markets 
of  Europe  with  the  Indian  produce.  Thus  the  actual  results  of  innnedi- 
ate  communication  with  the  Oriental  world  completely  overshadowed 
the  possible  advantages  to  be  reaped  from  lands  lying  to  the  west,  which 
were  still  regarded  as  merely  the  unsurmounted  obstacle  in  the  path  to 
tlie  Orient.  The  public  could  not  Ije  satisfied  by  tales  of  snow-bound  or 
rocky  shores  without  so  much  as  a  city  or  a  castle  over  which  to  float  a 
banner. 

But  little  by  little  the  natural  wealth  of  these  western  re- 
gions began  to  be  recognized.  At  what  period  the  fisheries  of 
Newfoundland  were  first  known  to  the  hardy  seamen  of  Brittany  and 
Normandy  it  is  impossible  to  determine  with  accuracy ;  it  must  liave 
been  as  early  as  the  commencement  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Cod, 
mackerel,  and  herring  were  found   in  abundance,  aud  the  demand  for 


AMEIilCA    AS    L\l)i:i'i:.\l)K.\T    II HM ISI'll KUK.  17 

tlii'iu,  |i;irli(ulaily  in  l'"r;iuci',  was  ^Mi-atly  iiuTuasinl  l)y  lliu  lasts  (jf  lln! 
cliuK  li  |)iiriiiLf  the  next  I'l-w  veal's  the  Sijuniiirds  were  busy  Inllowiiij^ 
iij)  tlic  ilisioveries  (if  CoIuiuIhis  hy  exjHiditiuiis  to  Centml  and  Soulli 
America,  and  oceupatioa  of  jjortions  of  those  countries.  This  led  to  a 
neglect  of  their  native  soil,  and  seriously  and  mischievously  re- 
tarded the  rise  of  Spain  to  a  front  rank  anionj,'  povvei-s  ;  Init 
it  enlarged  the  boundarii^s  of  knowledge,  and  hastened  tlie  good  time 
when  the  earth  should  assume  its  i)n)i)er  form  in  the  minds  of  men. 
Prior  to  the  year  ir)22  the  Straits  of  Magellan  had  Iteen  discovered,  the 
broad  Pacific  crossed,  and  the  globe  circunniavigated.  America  stood 
boldly  out  as  an  independent  hemisphere. 

And  yet  the  avaricious  merchantmen  and  navigators  gave  little 

no  1624. 

heed  to  its  possible  resources.  They  scoured  the  oceans  in  every 
latitude,  from  the  Arctic  regions  to  Cape  Horn,  searching  for  a  gateway 
through  it  to  the  jeweled  cities  of  the  East.  The  chivalric  Francis  I.  of 
France  had  in  his  employ,  to  accomplish  certain  deeds  of  daring,  the  Italian 
navigator  Verrazano,  who  in  1524  was  sent  on  a  voyage,  with  the  above 
object  in  view.  He  cruised  along  our  coast  from  the  Carolinas  to  Nova 
Scotia,  landing  many  times,  and  learning  all  that  was  possible,  under  the 
circumstances,  of  the  strange  country  and  its  inhabitants.  He  estimated 
that  America  was  greater  in  territorial  extent  than  Europe  and  Africa 
combined,  but  expressed  his  belief  that  he  coidd  penetrate  by  some  pas- 
sage to  the  Indian  Ocean.  The  chart'  which  his  brother  drew,  contributed 
towards  creating  the  sui)positiou  in  Europe  that  at  about  the  4Uth  degree 
of  latitude  such  a  passage  might  be  found.  Verrazano's  letter  to  Francis  I. 
has  recently  been  shadowed  with  historic  doubt,  in  a  volume  of  nearly  two 
hundred  pages,  from  the  facile  pen  of  Hon.  Henry  C.  IMurphy ;  but  its  un- 
certain light  is  by  no  means  extinguished.  Neither  is  it  less  interesting 
because  of  the  poverty  of  actual  proof  in  regard  to  its  authenticity.  One 
paragraph  relating  to  the  "hdlissimo  lago  at  the  mouth  of  the  great  river" 
points  significantly  towards  our  own  sylvan  solitudes,  as  follows :  — 

"  After  proceeding  one  hundred  leagues  we  found  a  very  pleasant  situa- 
tion among  some  steep  hills,  tlirough  which  a  large  river,  deep  at  the  mouth, 
forced  its  way  into  the  sea ;  from  the  sea  to  the  estuary  of  the  river  any 
ship  heavily  laden  might  pass  with  the  help  of  the  tide,  which  rises  eight 
feet.  But  as  we  were  riding  at  anchor  in  a  good  berth  we  would  not 
venture  up  in  our  vessel  without  a  knowledge  of  the  mouth,  therefore 
we  took  the  boat,  and  entering  the  river  we  found  the  country  on  the 

1  A  copy  of  this  chart  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  American  Geographical  Society,  hav- 
ing been  recently  obtained  from  the  College  of  the  Propaganda  Fide  in  Rome  at  the  instance  of 
Chief  Justice  Daly,  and  is  a  geographical  curiosity. 
2 


18  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

banks  well  peopled,  the  inhabitants  not  differing  much  from  the  others, 
being  dressed  out  with  the  feathers  of  birds  of  various  colors.  They  came 
towards  us  with  evident  delight,  raising  loud  shouts  of  admiration,  and 
showing  us  where  we  could  most  securely  land  with  our  boat.  We  passed 
up  this  river  about  half  a  league,  when  we  found  it  formed  a  most  beauti- 
ful lake  upon  which  they  were  rowing  thirty  or  more  of  their  small  boats 
from  one  shore  to  the  other,  fiUed  with  multitudes  who  came  to  see  us. 
All  of  a  sudden,  as  is  wont  to  happen  to  navigators,  a  violent  contrary 
wind  blew  in  from  the  sea,  and  forced  us  to  return  to  our  ship,  greatly 
regretting  to  leave  this  region,  which  seemed  so  commodious  and  delight- 
ful, and  which  we  supposed  must  also  contain  great  riches,  as  the  hiUs 
showed  many  indications  of  minerals."  ^ 

The  letter  was  dated,  "  Ship  Dolphin,  in  the  Port  of  Dieppe,  Nor- 
mandy," was  a  lengthy  docmnent,  and,  besides  furnishing  curious  evidence 
of  the  state  of  nautical  science  at  that  time,  gives  us  a  fair  picture  of  the 
North  American  Indian  as  first  seen  by  white  men.  We  are  induced  to 
believe  that  the  proprietors  of  Manhattan  Island  were  an  amiable  people, 
and  had  made  some  progress  in  the  arts  which  tend  to  ameliorate  the 
savage.  They  were  not  hostile  to  visitors,  and  knew  something  of  agri- 
culture. War  was  evidently  unknown  to  them,  as  we  can  learn  of  no 
defenses  against  hostile  attacks.  They  were,  doubtless,  of  that  tribe  after- 
wards called  Delawares,  or,  as  they  styled  themselves,  Lenni  Leuape, 
which  means  original  or  unmixed  men. 

It  was  an  entirely  different  race  that  Champlain  encountered  in  his 
wanderings  into  the  State  of  New  York,  from  the  north,  in  1609.  They 
were  fierce  and  cruel  warriors,  somewhat  advanced  in  policy,  arts,  and 
agricidture,  and  had  already  instituted  a  confederacy  of  five  independent 
nations,  with  a  sort  of  congress  of  their  own,  seeming  to  know  somewhat  of 
civilized  life  and  much  of  warlike  achievement,  long  before  they  became 
students  of  the  white  man's  craft.  They  called  themselves  Aquanu 
Schioni,  or  the  United  People.  Iroquois  is  not  an  Indian,  but  a  French 
name,  and  is  a  generic  term,  having  been  bestowed  upon  that  type  of 
language,  the  dialects  of  which  were  spoken  by  the  Five  Nations.  We 
have  strong  reasons  for  suspecting  that  during  the  interim  between 
Verrazano's  visit  and  the  subsequent  Dutch  settlement,  the  martial 
Iroquois  extended  their  conquests  from  the  inland  lakes  to  the  Atlantic 
shores,  leaving  the  deteriorating  effects  of  barbarous  warfare  upon  the  in- 
habitants, as,  at  the  latter  period,  the  river  Indians  and  many  upon  the 

1  Bcschrijv  van  America,  by  Jan  Huyghen  Van  Linschotten.  (Amsterdam).  i\^.  V.  H. 
S.  Coll.,  Vol.  I.  (Second  Series)  pp.  45,  46.  Hakluyt,  III.  360,  361.  Harris's  Voyages,  II. 
348.     Nort!t,  Anurican  Review  for  October,  1837.     Belhiap's  Am.  Biog.,  I.  33. 


KSTA'VAX   aoMHZ. 


19 


soii-coust  well!   rouiiil   sulijfct  to  llu'  lr(Miii<iis,  jirUiKiwlcd^rin;,'  tin-  Siiiiic  by 
tlie  jKiyineiit  of  an  lumuiil  tiildiU!. 

or  the  .sul)sc'<juciit  caircr  ol'  Vornizaini  very  little  is  kiinwii.  We 
eateh  fu'Mtive  <rliiiii).se.s  of  liiiii  only,  eu(»U''li  to  excite  Imt  not  sulli- 
eient  to  satisfy  curiosity.  Tlieie  ia  evidence  existiuj^  that  he  coni- 
niaiuled  an  expedition  to  the  Indies  for  spices,  in  ir)2G,  and  it  is  sujjjiosed 
tliat  he  was  engaged  also  in  piratical  ventures.  He  di.sappeured  from 
public  view,  after  havinj,'  greatly  advanced  the  knowledge  of  the  new 
country  and  given  France  some  claim  to  an  extensive  and  picturesque 
territory.^ 


Group 


of  gentlemen,  showing  fashions  of  the  day. 


In  1525  Estevau  Gomez,  a  decoyed  Portuguese,  who  had  been  the  chief 
pilot  of  Magellan  on  his  southern  voyage,  presuming  that,  since  a  strait 
to  Cathay  had  been  discovered  in  the  south,  there  must  necessarily  be 
one  at  the  north,  sailed  in  the  interests  of  Spain  to  find  it.  He  is  sup- 
posed to  have  cruised  along  our  coasts  as  far  as  the  Hudson  Eiver,  since  Rio 
de  Gamas  was  the  first  name  of  European  origin  which  it  bore,  and  there 
is  evidence  of  his  having  sailed  to  the  shores  of  Maine,  that  land  being- 
described  upon  the  Spanish  maps  as  the  Tierra  de  Oomez.^  He,  like 
Verrazano,  drew  a  chart  and  it  was  the  more  valuable  of  the  two,  as  the 
former  was  entirely  unknown  down  to  the  year  1582,  when  it  appeared  in 


1  ChurkvoLv,  Xmir.  Fr.,  I.  78  ;  Bancroft,  1.  13.  Annibale  Caro,  Lettere  Familiari,  Toiiio  I. 
let,  12.     Article  by  Hon.  J.  Carson  Brcvoort,  in  Journals  Am.  Geog.  Soc.  N.  V.,  Vol.  IV. 

-  Hcrrcrii,  Dec.  111.  lib.  S.  cap.  8.  Xavurrete,  1.  e.  p.  179.  Oviedo  {Sommario),  cap.  10, 
fol.  14.      Pclcr  Martyr,  Dec.  VIII.  cap.  9. 


20  HISTORY   OF  THE  CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

the  Hakluyt  Collection  of  Voyages.  Gomez's  draft  was  embotiied  in  the 
planisphere  made  by  Eibero,  now  preserved  in  the  British  Museum.  At  a 
congress  held  at  Badajos  after  Gomez's  return,  at  which  were  present  Se- 
bastian Cabot,  then  pilot-major  of  Spain,  and  all  the  most  distinguished 
geographers  of  both  Spain  and  Portugal,  the  outlines  of  America  were 
fixed  for  the  first  time,  the  chart  of  Gomez  was  adopted  by  the  official 
chart-makers,  and  from  their  works,  with  occasional  amendments,  passed 
into  aU  the  charts  and  maps  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  some  of  the 
seventeenth.  Beyond  the  information  thus  obtained,  Gomez's  voyage 
was  very  meager  in  results.  He  caught  a  few  Indians  to  carry  as  tro- 
phies to  the  Spanish  king,  Charles  I. ;  but  when  he  arrived  at  Coruna,  the 
courier  who  was  despatched  by  post  with  the  news,  mistook  slaves  (escla- 
vos)  for  cloves,  which  was  what  Gomez  had  promised  to  bring  home 
with  him  should  he  reach  Cathay,  and  there  was  great  excitement  among 
the  courtiers  and  nobles  until  the  ludicrous  blunder  was  corrected. 
"  Then,"  says  the  quaint  chronicler  of  the  event,  "  there  was  much  laugh- 
ter." ^  From  that  time  Spain  had  no  confidence  in  any  northern  enter- 
prise. "  To  the  South  !  to  the  South  !  "  was  the  cry,  and  all  the  strength 
and  resources  she  could  spare  from  her  home  wars  was  directed  towards 
the  prosecution  of  her  discoveries  and  conquests  in  South  America. 
"  They  that  seek  riches,"  said  Peter  Martyr,  "  must  not  go  to  the  fi'ozen 
North  ! " 

For  the  next  three  fourths  of  a  century  the  wilds  and  wastes  of  Nortli 
America  received  comparatively  little  notice  from  the  European  powers. 
It  was  visited  at  different  points  and  dates  by  fishermen  and  private  ad- 
venturers, and  a  few  flags  were  raised  and  colonies  planted,  but  its  geog- 
raphy, farther  than  its  coast-outline,  remained  almost  wholly  unknown. 
During  the  interval  France  was  too  much  occupied  by  her  fruitless  expe- 
ditions into  Italy,  and  her  unequal  contest  with  the  power  and  policy 
of  Charles  I.  of  Spain,  and  also  by  the  civil  wars  with  which  she  was 
desolated  for  nearly  half  a  century,  to  speculate  amidst  her  miseries  upon 
possibilities,  or  lay  plans  for  the  future  extension  of  her  territories  except 
upon  parchment.  England,  too,  through  most  of  that  period,  was  agitated 
and  weakened  by  intestine  broils  or  unwise  interference  in  foreign  af- 
fairs. Her  immense  navy,  which  has  since  enabled  her  to  give  law  to  the 
ocean,  was  then  scarcely  in  embryo  ;  ^  and  her  commerce  about  the  year 
1550  had  become  so  nearly  extinct  that  bankruptcy  appeared  for  a  time 

1  Gomara,  chap.  40  (1st  edition,  1552).  History  of  tlu  West  hidies,  b)'  Peter  Martyr 
(1530).  Hislaria  de  las  Indias  Occidcntales,  by  Antonio  de  Harrera  (edition  1601),  Tonio 
III.  Dec.  III.  cap.  8. 

'■^  Itoberlsmi's  Historical  Disquinitinii  on  Ancient  India,  .sect.  4,  p.  154. 


HXdL.Wn    AM)    HI' SSI  A.  1\ 

im'vitiiblu.  Native!  produce  was  in  no  (Icniand,  foicii^'M  inii>ortal.ions  liad 
cwised,  and  u  sinfiular  nionojioly,  cnnsistin;,'  cliictly  of  tin-  fiictoi-s  of  ex- 
ti'iisive  lufvoantili!  houses  in  AnlwHn'i)  and  llainlauj,',  liad  olUaintid  con- 
trol of  Iiov  markets,  and,  vaiupiic-likc,  was  suckinj,'  liur  remnant 
of  strenj,4li.  1  he  statesmen  and  the;  merchants  ol  the  reahn  met 
in  consultation,  and  took  counsid  of  the  aj^ed  and  justly  celebrated  Sebas- 
tian Cabot,  whi»,  although  he  had  thrice  made  the  attempt  to  reach  Asia 
by  the  north  witlioul  success,  had  never  ;^ivcn  up  his  hobliy,  that  "some 
great  good  lay  iu  store  for  the  world  liy  the  way  of  the  Polar  Seas."  He 
advised  that  the  northern  (toasts  of  Europe  be  explored  foi-  new  markets, 
and  an  effort  math'  to  reach  Cathay  by  a  Siberian  route. 

A  company  was  accordingly  formed,  wiiicli  was  called  "  The  Society  for 
the  Discovery  of  Unknown  Lands,"  and  an  expedition  was  fitted  out'iu 
1553,  the  expenses  of  which  wei-e  mostly  liorne  l>y  private  subscription.  It 
was  placed  under  the  command  of  Sir  Hugii  WiUoughby,  and  the  IhjUI 
Richard  Chancellor  was  made  pilot-major  of  the  fleet.  The  vessels  became 
separated  during  a  storm,  and  WiUoughby  with  two  of  them,  after  the  most 
terrific  hardships,  reached  an  obscure  harbor  on  the  desolate  coast  of  Lap- 
land, wlieve  he  and  his  men  finally  perished.  Chancellor,  with  heroic  per- 
sistence, pushed  his  way  through  frozen  waters  where  sunlight  was  perjjct- 
ual,  and  landed  in  safety  at  Archangel.  Russia  was  then  scarcely  known 
to  Western  Europe.  Chancellor  made  good  use  of  his  opportunities.  He 
journeyed  by  sledge  to  Moscow,  and  Avas  invited  to  a  personal  interview 
with  Emperor  Ivan  the  Terrible.  A  lucrative  and  permanent  trade  was 
established  between  the  two  countries,  which  was  the  foundation  of  the 
commercial  and  political  relations  that  have  continued  with  slight  inter- 
ruptions to  the  present  time.  By  it  a  fresh  impulse  was  given  to  produc- 
tive industry  iu  England,  and  her  credit  was  improved,  while  intercoui-se 
with  the  English  secured  to  the  Russians  civilization,  intelligence,  and 
comfort.  When  Chancellor  returned  in  1554  to  England,  he  was  the 
bearer  of  a  letter  from  Ivan  the  Terrible  to  Edward  IV.  The  Muscoa^' 
Company,  as  it  was  afterwards  styled,  obtained  a  formal  charter  from  the 
Crown,  dated  February  6,  1555,  in  which  Sebastian  Calwt  was  named 
as  its  first  governor.  It  was  granted  a  charter  of  privileges  also  by  the 
Russian  Emperor,  and  commenced  energetic  operations.  The  same  com- 
pany, after  a  brilliant  career  of  more  than  three  hundred  years,  is  still  in 
existence.  For  full  fifty  years  after  its  organization  it  absorbed  the 
energy  and  the  surplus  capital  of  the  English  nation ;  and  nothing  was 
attempted  in  America  save  a  few  unimportant  settlements,  which  came 
to  nothing. 

Meanwhile  the  Dutch  were  preparing  for  a  marvelous  lea])  into  })ublic 


22 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW    YORK. 


notice.  When,  in  1580,  Philip  II.  united  Portugal  to  Spain,  and  pres- 
ently began  his  war  upon  England,  his  ports  were  closed  against  English 
vessels.  Therefore  England  was  forced  to  buy  her  spices,  silks,  and  other 
Indian  produce  of  the  Dutch.  But  the  revolt  of  the  Netherlands  followed 
in  quick  succession,  and  Dutch  vessels  were  excluded  from  Lisbon,  which 
had  been  so  long  the  European  depot  for  Indian  wares.  Although  the 
Dutch  were  not  a  creative  people,  there  was  no  nation  under  the  sun 
which,  being  strongly  pushed  in  one  direction,  was  more  sure  to  succeed 
than  they.  They  had  Ijegun  already  to  reap  large  profits  from  their  Eng- 
lish trade.  I'rices  had  gone  up  on  all  India  goods  ;  that  of  pepper  by  two 
hundred  per  cent.  They  were  compelled,  as  it  were,  to  seek  a  direct  pas- 
sage to  the  Orient.  Thus  originated  the  great  commercial  corporation 
known  as  the  Dutch  East  India  Company.  Their  vessels  followed  in 
the  track  of  the  Portuguese  around  Africa.  The  directors  were  mostly 
city  nobles  of  the  old  school,  and  so  prosperous  became  the  company  that 
in  twenty  years  they  divided  more  than  four  times  their  original  capital 
among  the  shareholders,  l:)esides  having  acquired  a  vast  amount  of  prop- 
erty in  ciildiiics,  t'nrtiticatiMii'^,  iiml  xcssi'ls. 


East  India  Company's  House. 

While  struggling  for  freedom  amid  tlie  smallest  beginnings,  and  at  war 
with  the  nation  the  shadow  of  whose  haughty  flag  waved  over  half 
a  conqiiered  world,  and  whose  fashions  and  language  controlled  the  courts 
of  Europe,  the  Dutch  received  the  impetus  which  raised  them  to  tlie  rank 


THK    Dl'TCll    WHST    1X1)1  A    COMI'AXY.  23 

of  a  jjjroiiL  powrr.  M<ni;  (liaii  one  liiiii(lrL'(l  I'mU'slaiil  rmiiilics,  the  very 
pith  of  the  natinn,  were  driven  from  15elj,'iuin  l)y  the  SiMinianLs,  and  found 
their  honies  in  Ilolhind  and  Zeahmd.  The  ruin  of  tlie  ancient  trade  and 
opultMiii'  of  r>cluiuin  and  the  sudden  expansion  of  the  Dutch  IJepublic 
wiTc  two  si(K's  (if  thr  same  event.  lUit  the  exiled  l?elj,nans  had  no  inten- 
tion of  reniaininjii  i)ernianently  in  Northern  Netherlands.  They  breathed 
a  new  element  of  counnercial  strength  into  iIh;  atnio.sphere,  and  at  the 
same  time  were  j)utting  their  shrewd  heads  together  to  devise  some 
method  by  which  Belgium  might  be  delivered  from  the  Spanish  yoke. 
They  well  knew  that  the  wide  possessions  of  Spain  were  ojjen  to  the 
resolute  attacks  of  a  vigorous  foe.  Finally,  they  originated  the  gigantic 
scheme  of  a  warlike  company  of  private  adventurers,  who  should  conquer 
or  ruin  the  Spanish  settlements,  seize  the  Spanish  transports,  and  cut  off 
all  communication  with  her  Transatlantic  dei)endencies.  And  they  ])ro- 
posed  to  name  it,  very  appropriately,  the  West  India  Company. 

The  obstacles  in  the  way  of  putting  so  vast  a  project  into  execution 
were  very  great.  John  of  Barneveld  was  at  the  head  of  affairs  in  the 
Dutch  liepublic,  and  advocated  peace.  He  was  too  practical  a  philoso- 
pher not  to  appreciate  the  enormous  advantages  his  country  had  just 
gained.  The  victorious  return  of  the  Belgians  to  their  native  province 
would  only  remove  commerce  and  political  lead  to  the  south,  and  was  in 
no  case  to  be  desired.  He  was  fully  determined  to  prevent  the  existence 
of  any  such  warlike  corporation  as  the  one  under  consideration.  But  the 
Belgians  found  energetic  allies.  The  lower  classes  in  the  Holland  towns 
favored  them  because  that  Barneveld  was  hated  for  his  aristocratic  pro- 
clivities. Influential  men  from  the  other  Dutch  provinces  lent  tlieir  aid 
because  the  Advocate  aimed  at  an  overweening  influence  for  Holland. 
The  House  of  Orange  gave  tliem  the  hand  of  fellowship  because  this  great 
family  aspired  to  wider  dominion  and  to  a  less  limited  authority  than 
they  had  hitherto  possessed. 

The  leader  of  the  Belgian  party  was  William  Usselincx,  an  exiled 
Antwerp  merchant  of  noble  descent,  whose  force  of  will  was  simply  mar- 
velous, and  whose  magnetic  influence  over  his  countrymen  was  so  great 
that  they  seemed  to  think  with  his  brain  and  act  wdth  his  hand.  His 
ready  pen  kept  the  political  life  of  Holland  in  one  continual  ferment. 
He  was  opposed  to  peace  w'ith  Spain  under  any  circumstances.  He  said 
the  quarrel  was  in  its  nature  irreconcilable  and  eternal,  because  it  was 
despotism  sacerdotal  and  regal  arrayed  against  the  spirit  of  rational  hu- 
man liberty.  His  argmnents  were  convincing,  and  his  wit  was  as  flash- 
ing and  as  quickly  unsheathed  as  a  sword. 

The  Dutch  revolt  was  in  itself  the  practical  overthrow  of  religious  t}r- 


24  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

anny.  It  was  a  healthy  and,  for  the  age,  an  enlightened  movement. 
But  theological  disputes  arose  upon  the  ruins  of  popular  delusions,  even 
among  the  Protestants  themselves.  Arminius,  from  the  ancient  Univer- 
sity of  Leyden,  undertook  the  difticult  task  of  justifying  before  the  tribu- 
nal of  human  reason  the  doctrine  of  the  condemnation  of  sinners  pre- 
destined to  evU.  He  publicly  taught,  also,  that  the  ministers  of  the 
church  ought  to  be  dependent  upon  the  civil  authority.  The  municipali- 
ties caught  at  the  cleverly  thrown  bait,  and  attempted  to  free  themselves 
from  the  pretensions  of  the  established  clergy.  Gomar,  a  celebrated 
scholar  and  a  religious  fanatic,  defended  the  doctrines  of  the  established 
Protestant  church  and  its  principles  of  ecclesiastical  polity.  He  was  an 
intimate  associate  of  Usselincx ;  and  both,  being  courageous,  crafty,  far- 
seeing  men,  were  anxious  to  prolong  a  war  which  would  render 
the  absolute  government  of  the  magistrates  ini]i<)ssil)le,  and  sub- 
mission to  the  Prince  of  Orange  a  political  necessity. 

Thus  two  parties  were  formed  which  lasted  down  to  the  French  Revo- 
lution, and  even  at  the  present  day  there  remains  of  them  nearly  as  much 
as  of  whiggism  and  toryism  in  England.  They  were  divided  in  almost 
every  question  of  public  interest.  The  Belgian  party  were  strict  Calvin- 
ists  and  democrats,  and  their  policy  was  to  carry  on  the  war  with  Spain 
until  Belgium  should  be  freed.  The  Barneveld  party  were  Arminians, 
aristocrats,  republicans,  and  quite  content  to  give  Belgium  over  to  the 
Spaniards. 

The  question  of  the  West  India  Company  was  agitated  for  nearly 
thirty  years.  Its  actual  existence  dates  from  the  year  1606.  That  is, 
commissioners  were  named  from  the  Assembly  at  that  period,  and  discus- 
sions were  frequent  in  regard  to  it.  But  Barneveld,  who  was  at  the  head 
of  the  Assembly,  never  seriously  thought  of  confirming  the  corporation. 
He  only  wished  to  use  it  as  a  threat  for  the  intimidation  of  Spain,  and  it 
was  chiefly  by  this  menace  that  the  twelve  years'  truce  was  accomplished, 
which  played  so  important  a  part  in  the  history  of  the  Netherlands. 

The  wrangling  between  the  two  political  parties  grew  more  fierce  as 
the  details  of  the  peace  negotiations  became  known.  The  river  Scheldt 
was  to  be  closed,  Antwerp  thus  ruined,  Belgium  given  up,  and  all  attacks 
upon  the  Spanish  forbidden.  The  peace  party  maintained  the  principle 
of  excluding  strangers  from  every  employment,  and  of  concentrating  all 
public  offices  in  a  few  patrician  houses  of  the  old  stock.  The  impov- 
erished, but  proud  and  fiery  Belgian  exiles  looked  with  dismay  at 
their  gloomy  prospects  in  the  event  of  the  truce  being  agreed  upon,  and 
put  forth  all  their  energies  towards  the  accomplishment  of  the  West 
India  Company.     Usselincx  wrote  a  series  of  pamphlets,  in  style  siin])l(' 


77/ A'    TWKLVH    YI.Ah'S     TltrCE.  25 

iuid  elli'Ctivc,  ;ni(l  wliirli  licloii;;  In  lla:  most  rciiiarkal>Ir  jUiMluct  iunxif  lliat 
cliias  ol'  litoniturc.  'I'lu'v  creaLotl  such  a  stMisation,  iiiul  attracLi;il  to  sucli 
a  (le-Jiiee  tlu'.  attention  of  conteiniinrarv  liistorians,  that  the  nxist  distin- 
guished of  Iheni  all,  Emanuel  van  Mi-leien,  reprinteil  one  of  them  entire 

Hut  the   namiihlets,  like  tlie   jilan  for  the  West    India  Comiiaiiv, 

,„,    '    .  ,      moo. 
oidy  served  to  n.ccleiate  thr  roiiclusion  of  tiir  tnirc       llir  Ad- 
vocate   nuule  a  sini^ular    use  of   his    adversary's  weapons.       A   (;essation 
of  liostilities  for  twehe  years  was  signed  by  tlie  representatives  of  the 
two  nations  in  ItiO'.i.      It  was  a  signal  victory  for  the  aristocratic  party. 

But  ten  years  later  the  great  statesman  paid  for  it  with  his  life.  No 
sooner  had  the  Calvinistic  faction  gained  the  ascendency  than  the  West 
India  Comi)any  becanu;  a  fixed  fact.  And  it  was  due  almost  entirely  t<j 
the  herculean  exertions  of  Tsselincx.  It  is  singular  that  a  man  who  has 
eariu'd  so  honoralile  a  ])laee  in  history  should  be  so  little  known  to  the 
world.  It  is  true  that  lie  never  held  an  ofticial  position,  yet  he  founded 
two  great  connuercial  companies,  which  were  so  prolific  in  results  that, 
had  justice  been  properly  meted  out,  his  name  would  have  been  inmior- 
talized.  He  contributed  more  than  any  power  to  annihilate  Spain.  He 
brought  to  New  York  the  nation  in  which  the  principle  of  free  commu- 
nities —  the  vital  principle  of  American  liberty  —  was  carried  out  to  its 
full  extent.  He  made  Sweden  a  maritime  power.  And  by  the  success 
of  his  enterjjrises,  he  was,  in  1629,  instrumental  in  saving  Holland  from 
the  S])anish  yoke,  —  an  act  so  vast  in  its  consequences  that  for  it  alone 
he  deserves  the  eternal  gratitude  of  all  Germanic  Europe. 

In  the  mean  time,  and  just  about  the  date  of  the  conclusion  of  the 
twelve  years'  truce  with  Spain,  the  East  India  Company  had  unwit- 
tingly discovered  Mairhattan  Island,  with  which  account  the  next  chapter 
opens. 


26  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW  YORK. 


CHAPTER    II. 

1609  -  1614. 

HENRY    HUDSON. 

Henry  Hudson.  —  His  Voyages.  —  He  discovers  Manhattan  Island.  —  His  Voy- 
age UP  the  Hudson  River.  —  His  Visit  to  an  Indian  Chief.  —  His  tragical 
Fate.  —  American  Furs.  —  Settlement  of  Virginia.  —  Voyages  to  Manhattan. 
—  The  Fur  Trade. — Burning  of  the  Tiger.  —  Building  of  a  Ship  at  Man- 
hattan. —  Description  of  Manhattan  Island.  —  The  Manhattan  Indians.  — 
Customs  and  Dress. — Money  and  Politics. —Trading  Privileges. 

OF  the  personal  history  of  the  illustrious  navigator  Henry  Hudson 
very  little  is  known.  The  first  view  we  have  of  him  is  in  the 
church  of  St.  Ethelburge,  Bishopsgate  Street,  London,  in  the  summer  of 
1607,  whither  he  had  gone  with  his  crew  to  partake  of  the  sacrament 
before  sailing  under  the  auspices  of  the  Muscovy  Comj)any  in  search  of  a 
passage  to  "  Asia  across  the  North  Pole."  His  whole  life  as  known  to 
the  world  extends  only  over  a  period  of  about  four  years ;  and  there  is 
no  portrait  of  him,  not  even  a  contemporaneous  print  of  doubtful  authen- 
ticity. This  is  the  more  remarkable  as  he  lived  in  an  age  when  it  was 
quite  the  fashion  to  preserve  the  pictures  of  celebrities.^  He  appears  be- 
fore us  a  manly  man  in  middle  life,  well  educated,  courageous,  cool,  an 
expert  in  seamanship,  and  of  wide  experience  in  his  country's  service. 
Who  he  was,  has  been  a  matter  of  much  speculation.  His  father  was 
probably  Christopher  Hudson,  one  of  the  factors  of  the  Musco^'y  Com- 
pany, and  their  agent  in  Russia  as  early  as  1560,  a  personage  who  a 
little  later  was  made  governor  of  the  company,  —  an  office  he  retained 
with  honor  until  1601.  The  grandfather  of  the  discoverer  of  New  York 
is  supposed  to  have  been  the  Henry  Hudson  who,  in  1554,  figured  among 
the  founders,  and  was  the  first  assistant,  of  the  Muscovy  Company. 

1  Purchas  His  Pilgrimes  and  Pilgrimage.  HaJcliii/t  Collection,  of  Voyages.  Vol.  I.  N.  Y. 
E.  S.  Coll.  (First  Series).  Henry  Hudson  in  Holland,  bj^  Hon.  Henry  C.  JIurphy.  Henry 
Hudson  the  Navigator,  by  Dr.  Asher,  member  of  the  Hakluji;  Society  of  London.  Histori- 
cal Inquiry  concerning  Henry  Hudson,  by  General  John  M.  Read,  Jr.  Sailing  Directions  of 
Henry  Hudson,  by  Rev.  B.  F.  de  Costa. 


///■:\uy  iHDsox.  '11 

Iliulson'.s  vi)ya','e  in   lti(»7  n'.sulu-<l  duly  in  liis  iiUiiiiiin;^'  ii  iiiikIi 
liij^her  degree  of  northern  latitiule  than  any  of  liis  prcdecesHui's.         '""'• 
The  next  year  he  sailed  north  again,  hut  returned  without  liav- 

''  r>         '  1608. 

ing  achieved  any  further  measure  of  success. 

The  news  tliat  such  voyages  were  in  ])rogress  tra\eled  in  (hie  cijurse 
of  time  to  llolliind,  and  rendered  tlie  Dutch  Kast  Intlia  Company  uneasy 
lest  the  discovery  of  a  short  route  to  India  hy  their  industrious  rivals 
should  smUlenly  deprive  them  (»f  a  lucrative  trade.  The  learned  historian. 
Van  Meteren,  was  the  Dutch  minister  at  tlie  Court  of  St.  James,  and 
through  him  messages  were  transmitted  inviting  Hudson  to  visit  Holland. 

It  was  not  long  ere  the  famous  sea-captain  arrived  at  the  Hague, 
and  was  received  with  much  ceremony.  The  officers  of  the  com- 
pany met,  and  all  that  had  been  discovered  concerning  the  northern  seas 
was  carefully  discussed.  The  Dutch  had  not  been  behind  their  neigh1x)r3 
in  tlaring  exploits.  Even  while  raising  enormous  sums  of  money  towards 
carrying  on  the  war  with  S])ain,  they  had  bent  every  energy  towards  ex- 
tending their  commerce.  jMerchant  companies  and  private  adventures  had 
been  encouraged  and  assisted  by  the  government.  A  number  (jf  expeditions 
had  endeavored  to  reach  "  China  behind  Noi-way,"  and  ti'atling  monopolies 
had  been  established  in  Guinea  and  at  Archangel ;  in  short,  the  sails  of  the 
nation  whitened  the  waters  of  almost  every  clime.  The  noblemen  who 
directed  the  affairs  of  the  East  India  Company  were  as  cautious  as  they 
■were  enterprising.  Some  of  them  had  been  so  influenced  by  the  repre- 
sentations of  the  sorely  disappointed  De  Moucheron,  Barentsen,  Cornelis- 
sen,  Heemskerck,  and  others,  that  they  declared  it  would  be  a  waste  of 
time  and  money  to  attempt  again  the  navigation  of  the  vast  oceans  of  ice. 
But  Hudson  stood  before  them  full  of  enthusiasm,  and  expressed  his  ardent 
conviction  that  Asia  might  be  reached  by  the  northeast.  Peter  Plautius, 
a  clergyman  of  the  Eeformed  Dutch  Chuich  in  Amsterdam,  who  had  been 
engaged  with  Usselincx  in  trying  to  found  the  West  India  Company, 
opened  a  correspondence  with  Hudson,  and  sent  him  some  of  his  own 
published  works.  Plantius  had  a  profound  knowledge  of  maritime  affairs, 
the  result  of  unwearied  investigations,  and  he  warmly  seconded  the 
effort  to  search  for  a  northeastern  passage.  He  said  that  the  failure  of 
Heemskerck  in  1596  was  due  to  his  trying  to  go  through  the  Straits  of 
"Weygate,  instead  of  keeping  to  the  north  of  the  island  of  Nova  Zembla. 

After  much  delay,  an  expedition  was  finally  planned  and  Hudson 
placed  in  command.  The  Amsterdam  Chamber  defrayed  the  expenses. 
They  furnished  a  yacht,  or  Dutch  galliot,  —  an  awkward,  clumsy  kind  of  a 
brig,  with  square  sails  upon  two  masts.  It  was  a  tolerably  safe  craft,  but 
a  slow  sailer,  of  forty  lasts'  or  eighty  tons'  burden,  and  was  called  the 


28 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 


Half  Moon.  It  was  manned  with  a  crew  of  twenty  men,  partly  English 
and  partly  Dutch  sailors.  Hudson  was  instructed  to  pass  by  the  north 
and  northeast  of  Nova  Zambia,  towards  the  Straits  of  Anian,  and  to 
search  for  no  other  routes  or  passages  but  the  one  in  question.  He 
obeyed  his  employers  to  the  letter,  until  the  cold  grew  so  intense  that  the 
seamen  of  the  East  India  Company,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  warmer 
climates,  became  chilled  and  unlit  for  duty.  Once  or  twice  the  vessel 
escaped  as  by  a  miracle  from  unknown  currents,  then  mountains  of  ice 
encompassed  it,  and  the  crew  were  so  terrified  that  they  arrayed  them- 
selves in  open  rebellion.  Hudson's  only  alternative  was  to  turn  back. 
He  at  once  gave  his  attention  to  searching  for  a  passage  to  Asia  through 
the  American  Continent.     He  was  familiar  with  Yerrazano's  charts  and 


reports,  and  he  was  a  personal  friend  of  Captain  John  Smith,  whose 
adventures  in  America  were  watched  in  England  with  critical  inter- 
est. He  had  good  reasons  for  supposing  that  there  was  some  commu- 
nication with  the  South  Sea  at  about  the  fortieth  degree  of  latitude.     He 

accordingly  sailed  southward  as  far  as  Virginia,  then  cruised  along 
^^^'  '  the  shore  in  a  northerly  direction  until  the  2d  of  September, 
when  he  anchored  in  sight  of  the  bea\itiful  hills  of  Neversink,  which 
hold  the  post  of  honor  near  the  portals  to  our  island.     The  next  day  he 

ventured  a  little  farther  into  the  lower  bay,  and  found  what  he 
^*^*'  ^'  supposed  to  be  three  great  rivers,  one  of  which  he  tried  to  enter, 
but  was  prevented  by  "  the  very  shoal  bar  before  it." 

On  the  morning  of  September  4th  he  sent  out  a  small  boat  to 
^^^^'  '*"    explore  and  sound  the  water,  and  a  good  harbor  was  found  where 


IIIDSOS    DISCDVKh'S    MAXIIATT.W    ISl.AM).  21) 

tlic  soji  •' was  lour  Jiinl  livi!  I'litlioiiis,  (wo  caltlcs'  lcii;;tli  IVoiii  shore."  A 
,u;reat  many  tine  tisli  wero  also  discoverud.  Indians  were  seen  ulonj^  the 
shores,  and  towards  eveniuj,'  they  came  prosjjecting  around  tlie  Hulf  Momi 
in  small  canoes.  They  were  dresseil  in  skins,  wore  leathers  in  their  hair, 
and  were  adornetl  with  clumsy  cojtper  ornaments.  They  l)rouj,dit  with 
them  {freen  tobacco,  and  oll'ered  it  as  a  i)eace-oH'erinf,'.  They  were  so 
civil  that  a  i)arty  of  the  sailors  landed  amonj,'  them  the  next  day, 
and  were  very  well  and  deferentially  treated.  In  addition  to  *'' 
tobacco,  they  seemed  to  have  a  great  abundance  of  maize,  or  Indian 
corn,  dried  cummts,  and  hemp. 

On  the  6th,  John  Coleman,  an  Englishman,  who  had  been  with 
Hudson  on  his  previous  polar  voyages,  was  sent  with  four  seamen      *"' ' 
to  sound  the  Narrows.     They  passed  through   Kill  von  Kull  to  Newaik 
Bay.     The  sweetness   of  the  inner  land,  and  the  crisp  saltness  of  the 
distant  sea,  were  mixed  in  one  delicious  breeze,  and  they  reported  the 
country  "  as  pleasant  with  grass  and  flowers  as  any  they  had  ever  seen." 
While  returning  to  the  Hulf  Moon  late  in  the  afternoon,  they  were  at- 
tacked by  some  Indians  in  canoes,  and  John  Coleman  was  killed  by  one  of 
their  aiTows.    The  Indians  doubtless  fired  at  random,  as  there  is  no  evidence 
that  hostilities  were  continued,  or  any  attempt  made  to  capture  the  boat, 
which  in  the  confusion  might  have  been  done  with  the  gTeatest  ease. 
Night  came  on,  and  the  frightened  sailors  lost  their  light  and  their  way, 
and  were  tossed  about  on  the  troubled  sea  until  ten  o'clock  the 
next  morning,  when,  with  the  remains  of  their  murdered  ofiicer, 
they  were  at  last  received  upon  the  Half  Moon.     Coleman  was  buried 
upon  a  point  of  land  near  by,  which  was  called  Coleman's  Point. 

For  some  days  afterward  Hudson  spent  his  time  in  examining  the 
shores,  sounding  the  waters,  and  bartering  with  the  Indians.     The  latter 
were  closely  watched,  but  manifested  no  knowledge  of  the  fatal  affray  by 
whicli  John  Coleman  had  lost  his  life.     On  the  11th  the  Half 
Moon  was  cautiously  gmded  through  the  Narrows,  and  anchored     ^^ ' 
in  full  view  of  Manhattan  Island.     How  little  Hudson  dreamed  that  it 
w'ould    one  day  become  the  home  of  Europe's  overflowing  population ! 
His  mind  was  occupied  with  visions  of  a  different  character.     He  was 
encouraged  to  believe  that  he  had  at  last  found  the  passage  to  Cathay ; 
for  the  river  stretching  off  to  the  north  was  of  such  gigantic  proportions 
as  to  dwarf  almost  to  insignificance  the  comparative  streamlets  of  the 
eastern  continent !     He  determined  to  proceed  at  all  hazards  ;  but  the 
wind  was  ahead,  and  he  could  move  only  with  the  flood  tide,  hence 
it  was  not  until  the   14th  that  he  commenced  the  ascent  of  the 
river  in  earnest. 


30  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

If  Hudson  had  been  a  trained  detective  he  could  not  have  been  sharper- 
eyed  in  his  observations  of  the  country  along  his  route  than  his  circum- 
stantial journal  indicates.     The  Indians  hovered  about  his  vessel,  anxious 

to  trade  their  produce  for  the  buttons,  ornaments,  and  trinkets  of 
On  the  17th  he  anchored  at  a  point  just  above  the 
present  city  of  Hudson,  and  the  next  day  accompanied  an  old  Indian 
chief  to  his  home  on  the  shore.  It  was  a  circular  wigwam,  and  upon  the 
Englishman's  entrance,  mats  were  spread  upon  the  ground  to  sit  upon, 
and  eatables  were  passed  round  in  a  well-made  red  wooden  bowl.  Two 
Indians  were  sent  in  quest  of  game,  and  returned  with  pigeons.  A  fat 
dog  was  also  killed,  and  skinned  with  sharp  shells.  Hudson  was  served 
to  a  sumptuous  repast,  but  he  declined  an  invitation  to  spend  the  night 
with  his  royal  host,  and  the  Indians,  supposing  it  Avas  because  he  was 
afraid  of  their  bows  and  arrows,  broke  them  in  pieces  and  threw  them  in 
the  fire. 

They  proceeded  on  their  way  up  the  river  for  a  few  days,  but 

at  last  navigation  became  obstructed,  and  a  boat  was  sent  eight 
or  nine  leagiies  in  advance  to  measure  the  water.  "  Seven  foot  and 
unconstant  soundings"  deterred  the  bold  mariner  from  proceeding  far- 
ther. He  had  gone  as  far  as  he  could,  and  Asia  was  not  yet.  There 
are  conflicting  opinions  as  to  the  precise  point  reached  by  the  Half  Moon, 
but  it  is  generally  supposed  that  it  attained  about  the  latitude  of  Castle 
Island,  just  below  Albany. 

The  glowing  description  which  Hudson  gave  of  the  country  and  its  re- 
sources was  incorporated  in  an  elaborate  work  by  the  Dutch  historian 
I)e  Laet,  one  of  the  directors  of  the  West  India  Company  some  years 
later.  Hudson  wrote  "  that  the  land  was  of  the  finest  kind  for  tillage, 
and  as  beautiful  as  the  foot  of  man  ever  trod  upon."  He  made  himself, 
it  seems,  very  agreeable  to  the  natives.  On  one  occasion  he  persuaded 
two  old  Indians  and  their  squaws,  and  two  maidens  of  sixteen  and  seven- 
teen years,  to  dine  with  him  in  the  cabin  of  his  vessel,  and  said  that 
"  they  deported  themselves  with  great  circumspection."  At  another  time 
he  treated  some  of  the  sachems  to  wine  until  they  were  merry,  and  one 
of  them  was  so  very  drunk  that  he  could  not  leave  the  Hnlf  Moon  until 
the  next  day.^ 

Hudson  commenced  his  return  on  the  23d,  and,  eleven  days  afterwards, 
"  went  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  great  river,"  and  sailed  for  Europe.  On 
the  7th  of  November  he  arrived  safely  at  Dartmouth,  England,  where  he 
was  detained  by  the  English  authorities,  who  denied  his  right  to  enter 

1  At  this  very  moment  the  eminent  French  navigator,  Champlain,  was  upon  tho  waters  of 
the  lake  which  bears  his  name,  and  within  one  hundred  miles  of  Hudson. 


liriJSOX'S    DEATH.  HI 

inld  till'  siTvic-L-  III'  a  t(iivi<;ii  power,  llf  rniwardfii  a  ici><pil  <.|  his  adw-ii- 
tui'es  to  the  Dutcli  East  India  Company,  with  a  proposal  to  c;han},'e  six  or 
seven  of  his  crew  and  aUow  him  to  try  tlie  frozen  seas  aj,'ain.  His  com- 
munication did  not  reach  Holland  for  several  months,  and  his  employei"s 
were  ignorant  of  his  arrival  in  Knj,dand.  When  they  were  at  liust  ap- 
prised of  the  fact,  they  sent  a  peremptory  order  lor  him  to  return  with 
the  Half  Moon.  He  would  have  oheyed,  but  the  arm  of  the  lln^^lish  law 
withheld  him.     The  ves.sel,  however,  was  sent  with  its  car;^'o  to  Holland. 

The  Muscovy  ('oni])any  made  immediate  arran<^ements  to  avail  them- 
selves of  Hudson's  valuable  services,  and  fitted  out  another  expedition  Uj 
the  north  seas.  Tlu'  expenses  were  defrayed  by  private  En<,dish  gentle- 
men, one  of  whom  was  Sir  Dudley  Diggs.  Hudson  sailed  towards  the 
northeast  again  until  the  ice  ol).structed  his  progress,  then  proceeded 
westward,  and  after  many  trials  and  hardships  tliscovered  the  bay  and 
strait  which  have  immortalized,  his  name;  but  his  superstitious  crew 
gi-eatly  magnified  the  dangers  by  which  they  were  surrounded,  and  at 
last  arose  in  open  nmtiny.  They  placed  their  heroic  commander  in  a 
small  boat,  to  drift  helplessly  over  the  dreary  waste  of  frozen  waters, 
which  are,  alas !  his  tomb  and  his  monument.  To  fully  appreciate  the 
character  of  such  a  man  as  Henry  Hudson,  we  must  never  lose  sight  of 
the  fact  that  the  real  hazards  of  those  early  voyages  were  exceedingly 
great,  and  the  imaginary  perils  infinite.  Even  now,  after  the  lapse  of 
nearly  three  centuries,  we  cannot  dwell  upon  his  tragic  fiite  without 
mourning  that  such  a  life  could  not  have  been  spared  to  the  world  a 
little  longer,  and  that  he  who  accomplished  so  much  for  posterity  should 
have  had  so  slight  a  comprehension  of  the  magnitude  of  his  laboi-s  and 
discoveries. 

The  aristocratic  Dutch  East  India  Company  regarded  all  Hudson's 
reports  with  indiflerence.  They  had  a  great  aversion  to  America,  and 
ignored  it  altogether.  They  had  been  coining  wealth  too  long  and  too 
easily  from  the  immense  profits  on  their  India  goods  to  be  interested  in 
anything  short  of  the  Orient.  They  actually  sent  again  two  vessels 
to  the  North  in  1  Gil,  to  explore  among  the  icebergs  for  a  direct  route 
to  Asia,  hoping  to  soften  the  edge  of  former  disappointments. 

But  there  were  traders  in  the  Netherlands  whose  eyes  were  opened  to  a 
hidden  mine  of  wealth  through  the  skins  with  which  the  returned  Half 
Moon  had  been  laden.  Furs  were  much  w' orn  in  the  cold  countries  of 
Europe,  and  the  Dutch  reveled  in  the  costly  extravagance.  These  furs 
were  obtained  mostly  through  the  Russian  trade.  From  sixty  to  eighty 
Holland  vessels  visited  Archangel  every  year,  agents  were  stationed 
at  Novogorod  ami  other  inland  towns,  and  a  brisk  traffic  was  kept 


32  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

up  with  ancient  Muscovy.  The  wise  Eussian  Emperor  had  courted  this 
prosperous  commerce,  but  had  laid  a  duty  of  five  per  cent  on  all  imported 
goods,  and  allowed  an  equivalent  amount  to  be  exported  duty  free. 
Whoever  exported  more  than  he  imported  paid  a  duty  of  five  per  cent  on 
the  difference.^ 

If  the  same  and  similar  goods  could  be  obtained  in  the  New  World  in 
exchange  for  the  veriest  bawbles,  and  command  a  remunerative  market  at 
home,  it  was  a  golden  opportunity.  At  aU  events,  it  was  worth  an  inves- 
tigation. A  partnership  was  organized,  and  a  vessel  fitted  out  and 
laden  with  small  wares.  A  portion  of  the  crew  of  the  Half  Moon  '^  were 
secured,  and  the  ship  was  placed  under  the  command  of  an  experienced 
oificer  of  the  East  India  Company.  Hudson  Eiver  was  again  visited,  and 
a  cargo  of  skins  brought  back  to  Holland.  The  account  of  the  voyage 
was  published,  and  the  friendly  disposition  of  the  Indians  much  descanted 
u])on. 

It  was  at  a  period  when  the  press  everywhere  was  teeming  with  pam- 
phlets of  travel  and  descriptions  of  the  earth  as  far  as  known.  Geogra- 
phy was  becoming  with  some  few  a  life-study,  and  every  added  grain 
of  knowledge  was  seized  with  avidity. 

England  had  already  begun  to  think  seriously  of  planting  colonies  in  the 
New  World.  The  timid  James  I.,  perplexed  to  know  how  to  provide  for 
the  great  numbers  of  gallant  men  of  rank  and  spirit  who  had  served 
under  Queen  Elizabeth  both  by  sea  and  by  land,  and  who  were  out  of 
em])loyment,  had  permitted  a  company  to  be  formed  in  London  for  the 
purpose  of  settling  Virginia,  and  in  1606  granted  it  a  patent  which  em- 
l)raced  the  entire  Atlantic  coast  from  Cape  Fear  to  Nova  Scotia,  ex- 
cepting Acadia,  then  in  actual  possession  of  the  French.  Many  of  the 
impoverished  noblemen  immediately  embarked  for  their  new  home,  and 
had  been  tilling  the  fertile  soil  of  Virginia  for  three  years  prior  to  the 
discovery  of  Manhattan  Island.  These  general  facts  were  well  known  in 
Holland,  and  the  States-General  in  1611,  through  Caron,  their  ambassa- 
dor at  London,  made  overtures  to  the  British  government  to  join 
them  in  their  Virginian  Colony,  and  also  to  unite  the  East  India 
tratle  of  the  two  countries.  But  the  statesmen  of  England  were  unfavor- 
ably inclined  towards  either  project.  Their  reply  was,  "  If  we  join  upon 
equal  terms,  the  art  and  industry  of  your  people  will  wear  out  ours."  ^ 

1  Rkltcsse  dc  la  Holhmde,  I.  51.     Muilkcrk.     McCiillagh's  Industrin!  ITistorii. 

^  Hcckewelder,  New  York  Hist.  Soc.  Coll.      Yates  and  MouUon. 

»  Winwood's  Memorial,  III.  239.  Extract  of  a  letter  from  Mr.  .John  Mooiv  to  Sii-  Francis 
Winwood,  the  English  ambassador  at  tlie  Hague,  dated  London,  Decenilier  15,  1610. 
Corps  Dip.,  Y.  Q9- 102.     Grotius,  XVIU.  &12.      Van  Meteren. 


TKADims    AT    MAMIATTAN.  33 

Duiiiij,'  the  .suiiiiiR'r  of  Kill,  Ciii.tam  llciidrick  Christ iacii.siMi,  wliili- 
rctuniinjj;  from  a  voyuj^o  to  the  West  Indies,  wlicn"  many  Dutch  vessels 
obtained  salt  every  year,  necessary  lor  curing,'  herrin<,'s,  found  himself  in 
tlie  vicinity  of  the  "great  river,"  the  Hudson  (which  the  l'>el<,nan  Dutch 
(UiUed  "Mauritius,"  in  honor  of  the  Prince  of  Oiimye),  and  Itut  that  his 
ship  was  heavily  laden  would  have  ventured  in.  As  soon  as  he  an-ived 
in  Holland  he  entere<l  into  a  iJartnership  with  Adriaen  Hlock ;  they 
chartered  a  small  vessel,  took  gooils  on  commission,  and  sailed  for  Man- 
hattan. The  Indians  were  •'lad  to  see  them,  and  they  had  no  difficulty 
in  freighting  their  craft  with  skin.s.  They  also  persuaded  two  young  In- 
dian chiefs,  Orson  and  Valentine,  to  accompany  them  to  Holland. 

Block  wTOte  a  long  and  grai)hic  account  of  his  voyage,  which  was  pub- 
lished and  circAilated  in  all  the  Dutch  cities.  Its  object  was  to  awaken 
public  interest  in  the  American  fur-traffic.  The  two  Indians  were  taken 
from  place  to  place  to  create  a  sensation,  and  with  pretty  good  success. 
Erelong  three  wealthy  merchants,  Hans  Hongers,  Paulus  Pelgrom,  and 
Lambrecht  Van  Tweenhuysen,  formed  a  partnership  and  equipped  two 
vessels  for  ]\Ianhattan.  They  were  the  Fortune  and  the  Tiger,  and  were 
intrusted  to  the  command  of  Christiaensen  and  Block.  Presently  some 
gentlemen  in  North  Holland  sent  two  vessels  to  trade  at  Manhattan. 
One  of  them,  the  Little  Fox,  was  commanded  by  Captain  John  de  "Witt, 
an  uncle  of  the  celebrated  Dutch  statesman  who  was  gi'and  pensionary  of 
the  Netherlands  in  1652.  The  other  was  the  Nightingale,  and  was  in 
charge  of  Captain  Thys  ^'olckertsen.  Within  three  months  the  owners 
of  the  Fortune  and  the  Tiger  sent  out  a  third  vessel,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Cornelis  Jacobsen  May,  w4io  ten  years  later  was  made  Director-Gen- 
eral of  New  Netherland.  Their  success  was  flattering,  for  the  Indians  were 
captivated  by  the  trinkets  which  were  offered  in  exchange  for  skins. 

It  is  worth  noting  that  from  the  very  first  the  admirable  commer- 
cial position  of  Manhattan  Island  indicated  it,  as  if  by  common 
consent,  as  the  proper  place  where  furs  collected  in  the  interior 
could  be  most  readily  shipped  for  Europe.  Christiaensen,  having  Avon  the 
confidence  of  his  employers,  became  a  legally  appointed  agent,  and  by 
means  of  trading-boats  visited  every  creek,  bay,  river,  and  inlet  in  the 
neighborhood  where  an  Indian  settlement  was  to  be  found.  He  often 
took,  also,  long  journeys  into  the  country  on  foot,  and  was  ever}avhere 
treated  by  the  savages  with  kindness  and  consideration. 

One  clear  cold  night  in  November  the  Tiger  took  fire  at  its  anchorage, 
just  off  the  southern  point  of  Manhattan  Island,  and  Block  and  his  crew 
escaped  with  much  difficulty  to  the  shore.  The  vessel  burned  to  the 
water's  edge,  and  as  the  other  ships  had  aU  sailed  for  HoUand  there  was 


34 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


no  possible  hope  of  any  assistance  from  white  men  before  spring.  Block 
accepted  the  situation  like  a  true  philosopher,  and  erected  four  small 
habitations  on  the  island  at  about  the  present  site  of  39  Broadway.  Of 
their  architectiu'e  we  have  no  means  of  information,  but  they  were  doubt- 
less of  the  wigwam  family.  The  Indians  were  hospitably  inclined,  bring- 
ing food  out  of  their  abundance,  and  the  sailors  were  enabled  to  exist  with 
comparative  comfort  until  spring.  Block  was  a  plain  man,  of  no  incon- 
siderable tact  and  capacity.  He  had  been  bred  to  the  law,  but  had  de- 
serted his  profession  to  study  the  science  of  navigation.  He  must  have 
had  a  versatile  genius,  for  he  set  himself  at  work  with  great  energy  to 
construct  a  new  vessel  upon  the  charred  remains  of  the  Tiger} 


Burning  of  the  Tiger. 

It  was  an  arduous  iindertaking  with  the  slender  materials  at  command. 
Indeed,  it  requires  considerable  stretch  of  the  imagination,  in  this  age  of 
mechanical  luxury,  to  understand  how  such  a  feat  could  have  been  ac- 
complished at  aU.     But  it  is  one  of  the  facts  of  history,  and  early 
in  the  spring  of  1614  the  justly  famoiis  yacht  of  16  tons'  burden 
was  found  seaworthy,  and  launched  in  the  waters  of  the  Upper  Bay. 
It  was  significantly  called  the  Restless.     Block  set  forth  in  it  to  explore 

*  Plantagerwt's  New  Albion.  Brodhecuf,  48,  note.  Brcrden  Raedt.  ncn  rfc  Verceinghde 
NederlandscM  Provinticn  contains  a  statement  made  by  the  Indians,  that  "when  the 
Dutch  lost  a  ship  we  provided  the  white  men  with  food  until  the  new  ship  was  finished." 
De  Laet  says:  "To  carry  on  trade  with  the  Indians  our  people  remained  all  winter."  I>c 
Vries  repeats  the  same.  A  record  of  the  burning  of  the  Tiger  exists  in  the  l?oyal  Archives 
at  the  Hague  under  date  of  August  18,  1614. 


DESCnil'TlOX    or   MAMIATTAS    ISLAM).  .'55 

tlu!  titliil  chaniu'ls  to  llu'  fast,  where  no  liir;,'c  slii])sliii(l  yet  vciiturefl.  He 
puaseil  the  iiuiiien)iis  isliiiuls,  niul  the  (hinj^'eroiis  strait  eiilled  Hell  (late,  ami 
to  hia  aiiiazeiuent  found  hiiuself  in  a  "  heautifiil  inhnid  sea,"  wliieh  ex- 
tended eastward  to  the  Athintie.  He  was  the  first  Eurojjean  navi<,'ator,  as 
lar  as  we  have  any  l)reeise  knowled^^e,  wlio  ever  turrowe<l  the  waters  of 
Long  Ishvnd  Sound. 

Ahout  the  same  date,  Captain  May  ajjjain  reaehed  the  American  shores 
and,  hoverin<^  along  the  eastern  and  southern  l)oun(hiries  of  Ijong  Ishmd, 
proved  that  it  was  indeed  an  ishmd.  Finding  his  business  soon  transacted 
at  Manhattan,  he  visited  Dehxware  Bay,  and  l)estowed  his  name  u])on 
its  noi'thern  ca|)e.  Hlock,  meanwhile,  interested  himself  in  the  peculiari- 
ties of  the  southern  coast  of  Connecticut,  antl  sailed  up  the  great  Fresh 
River  as  fai"  as  where  the  city  of  Hartford  now  stands.^  He  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Cape  Cod,  where  he  unexpectedly  met  Christiaensen.  After 
some  discussion  they  finally  exchanged  vessels,  and  Block  sailed  for  Hol- 
land in  the  larger  and  safer  craft  of  his  comrade,  while  Christiaensen  con- 
tinued to  make  exi)lorations  along  the  coast  in  the  Restless. 

Thus  was  Manhattan  Island  again  left  in  primeval  solitude,  waiting  till 
connnerce  should  come  and  claim  its  own.  To  the  right,  the  majestic 
North  River,  a  mile  wide,  unbroken  by  an  island  ;  to  the  left,  the  deep 
East  River,  a  third  of  a  mile  wide,  with  a  chain  of  slender  islands  abreast ; 
ahead,  a  beautiful  bay  fifteen  miles  in  circumference,  at  the  foot  of  which 
the  waters  were  cramped  into  a  narrow  strait  wath  bold  steeps  on  either 
side ;  and  astern,  a  small  channel  dividing  the  island  from  the  mainland 
to  the  north,  and  connecting  the  two  salt  rivers.  Nature  wore  a  hardy 
countenance,  as  wild  and  untamed  as  the  savage  landholders.  ]\Ianhattan's 
twenty-two  thousand  acres  of  rock,  lake,  and  rolling  table-land,  rising  in 
places  to  an  altitude  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  feet,  were  covered 
Avith  somber  forests,  gi-assy  knolls,  and  dismal  swamps.  The  trees  were 
lofty  ;  and  old,  decayed,  and  withered  limbs  contrasted  with  the  younger 
growth  of  branches,  and  wild-flowers  wasted  their  sweetness  among  the 
dead  leaves  and  uncut  herbage  at  their  roots.  The  wanton  grape-vine 
swung  carelessly  from  the  topmost  boughs  of  the  oak  and  the  sycamore, 
and  blackberry  and  raspberry  bushes,  like  a  picket-guard,  presented  a  bold 
front  in  all  the  possible  avenues  of  approach.  Strawberries  struggled  for  a 
feeble  existence  in  various  places,  sometimes  under  foliage  through  which 
no  sunshine  could  penetrate,  and  wild  rose-bushes  and  wild  currant-bushes 
hobnobbed,  and  were  often  found  clinging  to  frail  footholds  among  the 
ledges  and  cliffs,  while  apple-trees  pitifully  beckoned  Avith  their  d^\•arfed 
fruit,  as  if  to  be  relieved  from  too  intimate  an  association  with  the  giant 

'   De  Lad.     Ma.ss.  Hist.  Coll.,  XY.  170.     Brodhcad,  I.  57. 


o6  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW    YORK. 

progeny  of  the  crowded  groves.  The  entire  surface  of  the  island  was  hokl 
and  granitic,  and  in  profile  resembled  the  cartilaginous  back  of  a  sturgeon. 
Where  the  Tombs  prison  now  casts  its  grim  shadow  in  Center  Street,  was 
a  fresh-water  lake,  supplied  by  springs  from  the  high  grounds  about  it, 
so  deep  that  the  largest  ships  might  have  floated  upon  its  surface,  and 
pure  as  the  Croton  which  now  flows  through  the  reservoirs  of  the  city. 
It  had  two  outlets,  —  small  streams,  one  emptying  into  the  North,  the 
other  into  the  East  River. 

It  was  not  an  interesting  people  whom  the  Dutch  found  in  possession 
of  Manhattan  Island  They  have  ever  been  surrounded  with  darkness 
and  dullness,  and  we  can  promise  very  little  entertainment  while  we  call 
them  up  before  us,  with  aU  their  peculiarities  of  life,  language,  and  garb, 
and  with  a  few  touches  sketch  them  as  a  whole.  They  were  tail,  well  made, 
broad  of  shoulder  and  slender  in  the  waist,  with  large  round  faces,  mild 
black  eyes,  and  a  cinnamon  complexion.  The  distinguished  scholar,  Dr. 
O'Callaghan,  says :  "  It  was  first  supposed  that  this  color  was  the  effect 
of  climate,  but  it  has  since  been  discovered  to  have  been  produced  by  the 
habitual  use  of  unctuous  substances,  in  which  the  juice  of  some  root  was 
incorporated,  and  by  which  this  pecidiar  tinge  was  communicated  to  the 
skin  of  the  North  American  Indian."  They  lived  in  huts  which  were 
built  by  placing  two  rows  of  upright  saplings  opposite  each  other,  with 
their  tops  brought  together  and  covered  with  boughs.  These  dwellings 
were  skillfully  lined  with  bark  to  keep  out  the  cold.  They  were  often 
large  enough  to  accommodate  several  families  ;  but  it  must  be  remembered 
that  each  Indian  only  required  space  enough  to  lie  down  straight  at 
night,  and  a  place  to  keep  a  kettle  and  one  or  two  other  housekeeping 
articles.  Windows  and  floors  were  unknown;  fires  were  built  on  the 
ground  in  the  center,  and  the  smoke  escaped  through  a  smaU  aperture  in 
the  roof 

The  Indians  never  located  permanently,  but  moved  about  from  one 
place  to  another,  selecting  such  points  as  were  naturally  clear  of  wood. 
The  men  understood  the  use  of  the  bow  and  arrow,  and  spent  much  of 
their  time  in  hunting  and  fishing.  They  made  fish-lines  of  grass  or 
sinews,  with  bones  or  thorns  for  hooks.  Wigwas  was  a  process  of  fishing 
after  dark,  similar  to  that  termed  bobbing  at  the  present  day.  They 
gathered  sheU-fish  and  oysters  in  great  abundance,  so  that,  wherever  the 
land  has  been  found  covered  with  the  d<^bris  of  shells,  it  has  been  regarded 
as  a  certain  indication  that  an  Indian  village  once  existed  there.  The 
Dutch  found  one  such  locality  on  the  west  side  of  Fresh- Water  Pond, 
which  they  named  Kalch-Hook,  or  Shell-Point.  In  course  of  time  this 
name  was  abbreviated  into  Kalch  or  Collech,  and  was  applied  to  the 
pond  itself. 


crSTOMS    AM)    Dh'HSS.  \M 

Tlic  women,  lis  usumI  iiiikhi^  uiicivili/.cil  luilidiis,  pcrtoriiicd  iiKtsI  ol'  iIk; 
Hold-work.  'I'lic  s;ivii<,'os  raised  laij^'i;  (luiuuities  of  corn  and  patches  of 
toI)acet>,  and  even  punipkins  weii^  enltivated  in  a  rndc,  jiriniitive  way. 
They  used  sharpened  shells  lor  knives,  and  witli  them  cut  down  trees  and 
constructed  canoes.  Althouj^h  ihey  liad  no  tables  nor  ceremonies  ol' eating, 
tliey  were  by  no  means  imlinercnt  to  the  tiuality  ol'  their  food.  It  is 
even  reported  by  some  of  tlie  hutch  pioneers  in  the  wilderness  that  much 
of  their  cookery  was  \ery  palatable.  Vockc//  was  a  mush  made  of  pounded 
corn  and  the  juice  of  wild  ajjples.  Suppatn.  was  corn  beaten  and  boiled 
in  water.  Succotash  was  corn  and  beans  boiled  together.  Com  was 
often  roasted  upon  the  ear.  Fish  and  meat  were  boiled  in  water,  un- 
dressed, entrails  and  all ;  dog's  flesh  was  one  of  their  greatest  delicacies. 
Hickory-nuts  and  walnuts  they  pounded  to  a  tine  pulp,  and,  mixing  it 
with  water,  made  a  ])o])nlar  drink.  Su])plies  for  winter  they  lodged  under 
gi'ound  in  holes  lined  with  bark.  But,  like  the  South  American  Indians, 
they  had  no  letters,  and  had  never  broken  in  a  single  animal  to  labor. 
They  conveyed  their  ideas  by  hierogl}qihics,  like  the  ancient  Egyptians, 
and  were  extremely  superstitious. 

Of  dress  both  sexes  were  extravagantly  fond.  The  mantle  oi'  skins 
worn  by  the  men  was  often  elaborately  trimmed.  The  hair  was  tied  on 
the  crown  of  the  head,  and  adorned  with  gay-colored  feathers.  The  hair 
of  the  women  was  dressed  very  much  like  Guido's  picture  of  "  Venus 
adorned  by  the  Graces."  It  was  sometimes  braided,  and  sometimes  flow- 
ing loose  down  the  back  with  the  appearance  of  having  been  crimped. 
The  same  style  may  now  be  seen  in  some  recent  paintings  made  by  artists 
who  have  visited  the  Southwestern  Indians,  and  it  is  not  unusual  in 
the  pictures  of  the  old  masters  and  in  the  busts  of  the  Grecian  sculptures. 
A  highly  ornamented  petticoat,  made  of  whale-fins  and  suspended  from  a 
belt  or  waist  girdle,  was  very  costly.  Its  value  is  said  to  haA'e  been  equal 
to  eighty  dollars  of  our  currency.  Chains  of  curious  workmanship,  some- 
times only  a  collection  of  stones,  were  much  worn  upon  the  necks  of  both 
men  and  women,  and  \\Tought  copper  was  suspended  fi-om  their  ears  in  a 
very  Oriental  manner. 

Gold  was  regarded  by  them  with  contempt  on  account  of  its  color. 
Red  and  azure  were  their  favorite  hues.  Wampum  was  their  money, 
while  at  the  same  time  it  was  used  as  an  ornament  for  their  pei'sons. 
It  consisted  of  small  cylindrical  beads  manufactured  from  the  white  lining 
of  the  conch  and  the  purple  lining  of  the  mussel  shells.  The  purple 
beads  were  worth  just  twice  as  much  as  white  beads.  From  a  circulating 
medium  among  the  Indians,  it  became  the  recognized  currency  of  the 
earlv  white  settlers,  and  the  Dutch  called  it  scv:an.     In  like  manner,  a 


38  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

species  of  shells  are  used  at  the  present  day  as  money  fn  the  interior  of 
Africa. 

Public  affairs  were  managed  by  a  council  of  the  wisest,  most  experi- 
enced, and  bravest  of  their  number,  called  sachems.  They  had  no  salary 
nor  fees,  to  make  office  an  object  of  ambition.  Authority  was  secured  by 
personal  courage  and  address,  and  lost  by  failure  in  either  of  those  quali- 
ties. Law  and  justice,  in  our  acceptation  of  the  terms,  were  unknown  to 
them.  AVhen  a  murder  was  committed,  the  next  of  kin  was  the  avenger. 
For  minor  offences  there  was  rarely  ever  any  punishment.  Prisoners  of 
war  were  considered  to  have  forfeited  all  their  rights  of  manhood,  and 
towards  them  no  pity  or  mercy  was  shown.  With  excessive  thirst  for  ex- 
citement and  display,  war  became  their  common  lot  and  condition.  The 
whole  tendency  of  their  lives  and  habits  was  to  that  point,  and  to  be  a 
great  warrior  was  the  highest  possible  distinction.  They  had  crude  and 
confused  opinions  respecting  the  creation  of  the  Avorld  and  a  future  exist- 
ence, and  held  vague  ideas  of  a  discrimination  between  the  body  and  soul, 
but  to  all  systems  of  religion  they  were  entire  strangers.  Such  was  the 
race  which  gave  way  to  modern  civilization. 

On  Block's  return  to  Holland,^  with  the  Fortune  (Christiaen- 

Sept.  1.  ^ 

sen's  vessel,  which  he  had  exchanged  for  the  Restless),  his  patrons 
received  him  with  enthusiasm,  and  made  immediate  preparations  to  avail 
themselves  of  a  new  feature  of  governmental  favor  towards  enterprising 
trade. 

The  States-General,  anxious  to  encourage  the  foreign  commerce 

March  27.  o  o 

of  Holland,  in  January,  1614,  had  granted  a  charter  to  an  associa- 
tion of  merchants  for  prosecuting  the  whale  fishery  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Nova  Zembla,  and  for  exploring  a  new  passage  to  China.  One  of  the 
directors  of  this  new  company  was  Lambrecht  Van  Tweenhuysen,  one  of 
the  owners  of  Block's  vessel,  the  Tiger.  The  importance  of  a  similar 
grant  of  privileges  to  those  at  whose  expense  new  avenues  of  trade  were 
being  opened  in  the  vicinity  of  j\Ianhattan  was  almost  immediately  dis- 
cussed. A  petition  to  that  effect  was  sent  to  the  States.^  The  States 
recommended  it  to  the  general  government.  On  the  27th  ol'  j\Iarch  the 
following  was  entered  upon  their  records :  "  AVTiosoever  shall  from  this 

1  A  story  has  been  many  times  repeated,  how  Captain  Samuel  Argall  of  Virginia,  while 
returning  tVom  an  inglorious  expedition  against  the  French  colony  at  Acadia,  in  November  . 
of  1613,  stopped  at  Manhattan  and  compelled  the  Dutch  who  were  there  to  submit  to  the 
king  of  England.  Such  may  have  been  in  accordance  with  the  facts,  for  it  would  have  been 
in  keeping  with  Argall's  coarse,  self-willed,  and  avaricious  character  ;  but  it  is  not  supported 
by  authentic  state  papers.  , 

^  "The  States"  of  Holland  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  States-General.  The  differ- 
ence was  as  great  as  between  the  representation  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  tlie  Fed(>iiil 
Congress  at  Washington. 


Ni:\V    TliADIXC    I'lUVILEilKS. 


'A\i 


tinit'  lorwanl  discover  any  iii-w  passuj^'cs,  liavciis,  laiid.s,  (ir  places  shall 
liinc  lli(!  exclusive  right  of  navigating  to  the  same  for  four  voyages." 
It  was  retiuirecl  that  reports  of  disctneries  should  be  made  to  the 
States-CJeneml  within  fourteen  ilays  after  the  return  of  the  exploring 
vessels,  in  order  that  the  jjarties  entitled  to  them  should  receive  the 
specific  trading  privileges.  When  simultaneous  discoveries  should  Iw 
made  by  difl'erent  parties,  the  promised  monopoly  was  to  be  enjoyed  by 
them  in  common. 


I'^-A'AWV  -Vi 


-t 


View  of  the  Vyverberg  at  the  Hague. 


40  Ui:STORY  OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 


CHAPTER    III. 

1614  -  1625. 

THE    HAGUE. 

The  Hague. — John  of  Barneveld.  —  New  Netherland.  —  New  England. —The 
First  Fort  at  Manhattan.  —  Political  Commotion  in  Holland.  —  John  of  Barne- 
veld's  Execution.  —  Imprisonment  of  Grotius.  —  The  West  India  Company.  — 
The  Amsterdam  Chamber.  —  The  First  Settlers  of  New  Netherland.  —  Death 
of  the  Prince  of  Orange.  —  Death  of  James  I.  —  The  Marriage  of  Charles  I. 
—  The  First  Governor  of  New  Netherland. 

THE  Hague  was  the  seat  of  government  in  the  United  Provinces.  It 
was  a  fine  old  city,  with  broad,  straight  streets,  lined  with  trees  and 
traversed  by  canals.  It  owed  its  origin  to  a  hunting-seat  built  by  the 
counts  of  Holland,  and  its  name  to  the  enclosing  haeg  or  hedge 
which  surrounded  their  magnificent  park.  It  derived  its  impor- 
tance from  the  constant  presence  of  gifted  and  illustrious  men.  The 
princes  of  Orange,  the  officers  of  State,  and  the  foreign  ministers  ac- 
credited to  the  Eepublic,  resided  within  its  limits.  It  was  the  home  of 
the  ancient  nobility,  and  the  favorite  resort  of  persons  of  culture  and 
distinction  from  all  portions  of  modern  Europe.  It  was  a  city  of  palaces. 
Among  its  public  buildings  was  the  Binneliof,  or  inner  court,  the  ancient 
palace  of  the  counts  of  Holland.  It  contained  a  magnificent  Gothic  hall, 
the  rival  of  Westminster.  Opposite  was  a  smaller  apartment,  superbly 
decorated,  in  which  were  held  the  "  dignified  and  extraordinary  "  meet- 
ings of  the  States-General. 

The  management  of  the  Seven  United  Provinces  was  vested  in  five 
chief  powers,  —  the  States-General,  the  Council  of  State,  the  Chamber 
of  Accounts,  the  Stadtholder,  and  the  CoUege  of  the  Admiralty.  The 
States-General  had  the  most  influence  and  authority,  but  it  was  hardly  a 
representative  body.  It  was,  more  properly  speaking,  a  deputation  from 
the  Seven  Provinces,  who  were  bound  to  obey  their  constituents  to  the 
letter.  It  was  composed  chiefly  of  noblemen.  Twelve  usually  assembled 
at  its  ordinary  meetings.  Prominent  among  them  was  the  founder  of 
the  Dutch  Eepublic,  —  he  who  had  organized  a  political  system  out  of 


JOIIX    or    liAUXKVKLI).  41 

chuos ;  ;i  nuiii  wlio  luid  no  suju'i'ior  hi  .sUiLcsniaiishij),  in  l;i\v,  in  the 
sciiince  of  <^'()veniniunt,  in  intellectual  power,  in  Ibree  of  cliariicter.  It 
was  John  of  Bameveld.  He  bore  an  ancient  and  knightly  name.  Jle 
was  of  tall  and  commanding  ])reseiKe.  While  he  cared  more  for  the 
substance  than  the  graces  of  s])eecli,  he  was  noted  for  his  convincing 
riu'toric  and  magnetic  ekuiuence.  He  had  now  reached  his  sixty-eighth 
year.  He  was  austere  and  unbending  in  manner,  with  thin  white  hair 
pushed  from  a  luoad  forehead  which  rose  dome-like  above  a  scpiare  and 
massive  face.  He  had  a,  chill  blue  eye,  not  winning  but  commanding, 
high  clii'i'k-boncs,  a  solid,  somewhat  scdriil'ul  no.se,  a  finn  mouth  and 
chin,  the  latter  of  which  was  enveloped  in  a  coi)i()Us  white  beard,  and  the 
whole  head  not  unfitly  framed  in  the  stiff,  formal  ruff  of  the  period.  His 
magisterial  robes  were  of  velvet  and  sable,  and  thus  we  have  him  in  our 
mind's  eye  as  he  .sat  at  the  head  of  the  oval  council  table  on  October  11, 
1614. 

In  the  midst  of  the  transaction  of  weighty  affairs  of  state,  a  committee 
of  Amsterdam  merchants  was  announced.  They  were  admitted  without 
delay.  The  chief  speaker  among  them  was  Captain  Block.  He  told  his 
story  of  adventure  and  discovery,  and  displayed  a  "  Figurati^'e  map  " 
of  the  country  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson  River  and  thereabouts,  which 
had  been  executed  artistically  imder  his  own  supervision,  and  which  was 
spread  upon  the  council  table  and  examined  with  interest.  Barneveld 
asked  many  questions,  all  of  w^hich  Block  answered  promptly  and  in- 
telligently. Barneveld  remarked  that,  "  in  course  of  time  those  exten- 
sive regions  might  become  of  great  political  importance  to  the  Dutch 
Keiniblic."     Several  of  the  Statesmen  expressed  the  same  opinion. 

The  merchants  were  before  them  to  petition  for  a  special  trading 
license  to  the  Hudson  country,  and  the  "  high  and  mighty  lords  "  were  so 
favorably  inclined,  that  their  secretary  was  at  once  ordered  to  draw  up  a 
minute  of  a  trading  charter,  the  original  of  which  is  in  existence,  and 
records  in  almost  illegible  chai-acters  the  first  use  of  the  term  New 
Nethekland.  This  instrument  was  sealed  and  attested  before  the  appli- 
cants left ;  and  by  it  they  were  granted  the  full  and  exclusive  right  to 
trade  in  New  Netherland  for  four  successive  voyages  to  be  made  within 
three  years  from  the  1st  of  January,  1615.  It  expressly  forbade  any 
other  party  from  sailing  out  of  the  United  Provinces  to  that  territory,  or 
frequenting  the  same,  within  the  time  specified,  under  pain  of  confisca- 
tion of  vessels  and  cargoes,  and  a  fine  of  fifty  thousand  Netherland  ducats 
to  the  benefit  of  the  gi'antees  of  the  charter.^     It  was  a  distinct  act  of 

^  The  original  charter  -was  brought  to  liglit  liy  Jlr.  Brodliead  during  liis  researches  in  the 
archives  of  tlie  Hague. 


42  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

sovereignty  over  the  country  between  New  France  and  Virginia,  which 
was  called  "  New  Netherland,"  a  name  which  it  continued  to  bear 
for  half  a  century.  It  was  entirely  without  boundary  Hues,  and 
extended  westward  as  far  as  the  Dutch  might  be  supposed  ever  to  explore. 
Yet  the  charter,  after  aU,  was  only  an  assurance  to  the  associated  mer- 
chants of  a  monopoly  of  trade  against  the  competition  of  other  Dutch  sub- 
jects, without,  for  the  present,  asserting  the  right  to  exclude  the  outside 
world.  No  political  powers  were  granted  for  the  government  of  the  new 
province,  and  nothing  was  at  the  time  contemplated  but  discovery 
and  traffic. 

It  is  a  singular  coincidence,  that,  during  the  same  summer  in  which 
Block  was  exploring  Long  Island  Sound,  Captain  John  Smith  was  visit- 
ing the  bays  and  coasts  of  Maine  and  Massachusetts.  And  about  the 
very  time  that  the  States-General  were  gi'anting  the  above  charter,  the 
Crown  Prince  of  England  was  confirming  the  name  "New  England," 
which  Smith  had  given  to  the  territories  north  of  Cape  Cod. 

Block  never  revisited  this  country,  where  he  holds  an  honorable  place 
in  the  annals  of  its  discovery,  and  where  his  name  wiU  ever  be  remem- 
bered as  the  first  ship-builder.  The  enterprising  Van  Tweenhuysen  sent 
him  north  on  a  whaling  voyage,  as  his  services  were  esteemed  more 
valuable  in  that  direction. 

The  merchant  company  were  not  slow  to  draw  from  their  new  posses- 
sions the  largest  returns.  They  fitted  out  several  vessels  for  the  Hudson 
or  Mauritius  Eiver,  and  sent  with  them  some  of  the  shrewdest  traders  in 
Holland.  They  ordered  Christiaensen  to  erect  a  trading-house,  which  he 
did  on  an  island  a  little  below  the  present  city  of  Albany.  It  was 
thirty-six  feet  long  by  twenty-six  wide,  and  around  it  was  raised  a 
stockade  fifty  feet  square,  which  was  encircled  by  a  moat  eighteen  feet 
wide,  the  whole  being  defended  by  two  pieces  of  cannon,  and  eleven 
stone  guns  mounted  on  swivels.  The  post  was  called  Fort  Nassau,  was 
garrisoned  with  twelve  men,  and  placed  under  the  command  of  Jacob 
Eelkens,  who  had  a  rare  talent  for  making  friends  with  the  Indians. 
Christiaensen  had  scarcely  completed  his  work,  when  he  was  murdered 
by  one  of  the  young  chiefs  whom  he  had  taken  to  Holland  three  years 
before,  thus  finding  a  grave  in  the  country  to  which  he  had  made  more 
successful  voyages  than  any  one  man  up  to  that  time. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  spring,  a  building  was  erected  on  the  lower 
point  of  Manhattan  Island,  to  answer  the  double  purpose  of  storehouse 
and  fort.  It  was  a  small  structure  of  logs,  without  any  very  practicable 
defences  of  any  kind.  A  few  huts  sprung  up  around  it  after  this  wise. 
A  square  pit  was  dug  in  the  ground,  cellar  fashion,  six  or  seven  feet  deep 


77/ A'    FinST    FORT    AT   MAXIIATTAN.  4.'] 

and  from  twelvo  Id  lliirty  Uh\1  loiii;,  lloorcil  willi  plunk,  und  nxilod  with 
spars,  bark  and  sods  ln'iiig  added  wlu-n  nccossary  to  exclude  the  cold. 
The  traders  lived  usually  in  their  shijjs,  but  it  was  found  convenient  to 
have  a  few  men  on  shore  to  j^Mianl  the  warehouse,  and  to  keep  the  I'ui-s 
<i;athered,  ready  for  shipment  to  Holland. 

Thus  two  years  jjassed.  No  event  of  any  note;  ha])p(!iu'il  until  the 
s])rinji;  of  11517,  when  Fort  Nassau  was  nearly  washed  away  Ijy  a  ircshet 
on  the  breaking-  up  of  the  ice  on  the  Hudson  River.  The  traders 
desired  to  remain  in  the  vicinity  of  this  great  eastern  terminus  of 
the  Indian  thoroughfare,  anil  built  a  new  fort  on  an  eminence,  which  the 
Mohawks  called  Twass-gunshc,  near  the  niouth  of  the  TivaHcnthu  River. 
Soon  after  taking  possession  of  these  new  quarters,  a  formal  treaty  was 
concluded  with  the  chiefs  of  the  Five  Nations.  The  ceremonies  were 
imposing,  each  dusky  tribe  having  an  anibassador  present.  The  pipe  of 
peace  was  smoked  and  the  hatchet  buried,  the  Dutch  agi-eeing  to  build  a 
church  over  the  instrument  of  death,  so  that  to  exhume  it  would  be  to 
overturn  the  sacred  edifice.  It  was  a  politic  movement  on  the  part  of 
the  Dutch,  for  they  thus  secured  the  quiet  possession  of  the  Indian  trade 
to  the  filling  of  their  coffers,  while  the  Indians  were  well  satisfied,  for 
they  had  learned  the  use  of  fire-arms  from  the  French,  and  were  now 
eager  to  get  them  and  maintain  their  supremacy  over  the  neighboring 
tribes. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1618,  the  trading  charter  expired  by  its  own 
limitation,  and,  when  the  associated  merchants  tried  to  renew  it,  the 
States-General  only  consented  to  give  a  special  license  to  trade  at 
New  Netherland  from  year  to  year.  The  Dutch  Republic  was 
once  more  in  commotion  from  centre  to  circumference,  and  the  West 
India  Company  was  the  chief  point  at  issue.  Since  the  ministers  of 
state  were  unable  to  prophesy  probable  results,  they  were  careful  not  to 
involve  themselves  in  American  affairs.  Usselincx  had  been  quietly  at 
work  since  1609,  and,  although  he  w^as  well  aware  that  the  establishment 
of  the  desired  company  must  necessarily  be  postponed  until  the  expiration 
of  the  truce,  yet  there  were  many  obstacles  to  be  removed,  and,  in  his 
judgment,  it  was  none  too  early  to  be  taking  the  preliminary  steps.  In 
all  his  movements  he  was  effectually  aided  by  Maurice,  Prince  of  Oranga 

The  outward  shape  of  the  strife  was  religious.  A  theological  battle 
was  in  progress  between  Arminianism  and  strict  Cahduism.  A  con- 
spiracy against  Barneveld  was  rapidly  approaching  its  crisis.  He  was 
a  liberal  Christian,  and  had  all  his  life  advocated  religious  toleration. 
The  Belgians  called  him  "  Pope  John."  They  charged  him  with  being  a 
traitor  bought  with  Spanish  gold.     Poisonous  pamphlets  appeared  day 


44  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

after  day,  until  there  was  hardly  a  crime  in  the  calendar  that  was  not 
laid  at  his  door.  It  was  a  horrible  personal  assault  upon  the  venerable 
statesman  who  had  successfully  guided  the  counsels  of  the  infant  com- 
monwealth at  a  period  when  most  of  his  accusers  were  in  their  cradles,, 
and  when  mistake  would  have  been  rvdn  to  the  Republic.  He  stood  in 
the  way  of  the  formation  of  the  West  India  Company,  and  the  Belgians- 
were  determined  to  get  rid  of  him.  Prince  Maurice  was  an  ambitious 
general,  and  although  Barneveld  had  been  the  first  to  elevate  him  to 
his  father's  position  as  Stadtholder,  and  inspire  the  whole  country  with 
respect  for  his  military  skill  and  leadership,  yet  the  truce  with  Spain 
deprived  him  of  a  large  share  of  his  authority  and  influence,  and  he  felt 
himself  so  thwarted  by  the  power  of  the  patriotic  advocate,  that  he 
helped  to  organize  the  campaign  against  him,  making  no  secret  of  his 
hatred,  and  determination  to  crush  him  from  off  the  face  of  the  earth. 

At   last   the   Advocate    was    arrested  by  the  order  of  Maurice,  and 
closely  confined  in  one  of  the  apartments  of  the  Prince.     The  shower  of 

pamphlets  and  lampoons  and  libels  began  afresh,  filled  with  dark 
^^'  '  allusions  to  horrible  discoveries  and  promised  revelations.  Even 
the  relatives  of  the  fallen  statesman  could  not  appear  in  the  streets  with- 
out being  exposed  to  insult,  and  without  hearing  all  manner  of  obscene 
verses  and  scurrilous  taunts  howled  in  their  ears.  The  clergy  upheld 
Maurice,  because,  having  been  excluded  from  political  ofiice,  they  were  in 
active  opposition  to  the  civil  authorities.  They  helped  to  spread  the 
story  that  Spain  had  bribed  Barneveld  to  bring  about  the  truce  and 
kill  the  West  India  Company ;  and  also  that  the  Advocate  had  plotted 
to  seU  the  whole  country  and  drive  Maurice  into  exile.  The  nobles,  the 
states,  the  municipal  governments,  and  every  man  who  dared  defend 
Barneveld,  were  libeled  and  accused  of  being  stipendiaries  of  Spain. 
The  war  waxed  so  serious  that  soldiers  were  kept  constantly  on  duty  to 
prevent  bloodshed  in  the  streets.  And  at  this  critical  moment,  the  weak 
king  of  England  inflamed  the  mischief  by  personal  intermeddling. 

The  National  Synod  of  Dordrecht  was  finally  appointed,  and 

foreign  churches  invited  to  send  delegates.  It  came  together  on 
the  13th  of  November,  1618,  and  sat  for  more  than  seven  months,  at  a 
cost  to  the  Republic  of  a  million  of  guilders.  It  resulted  in  a  Calvinist 
victory,  the  Arminians  being  pronounced  "  innovators,  rebellious,  leaders 
of  faction,  teachers  of  false  doctrine,  and  disturbers  of  church  and  nation." 

The  president  said,  in  his  address  to  the  foreign  members  at  the 

close  of  the  session,  that  "  the  marvelous  labors  of  the  Synod  had 

made  hell  tremble." 
Meanwhile,  Barneveld   had    been  for   several   months   confined  in  a 


.KHI.X    OF   nAliXKVKIJt'S    KXKI'CTION.  4.') 

(Iruiiry  ^iinxa  room,  aiitl   kcjil   in   ((Miipk'li;   i^'iioniiUH-   nt'  even   llio   iihihI 
iu.sigiiiticaiit  cviTV-ilay  cvi'iils.     On   tlie   IHth  of  March  lii-  was  liroii^^'lit. 
to  trial,  lull    not    lu-nniltrd   tlic  1h1|.  of  lawyer,  clurk,  or  man   ol' 
business.      His   paprrs  an<l  Imnks  were  denied   him,  also   pen,  iid<, 
ami   writinii   materials.      lie    made   hi.s  own   del'enee   with    indii,Miant   elo- 
([iience,  Init  it  a\aile(l  liim  imtliiiiL;.      Four  days  alter  the  termination  of 
the  Symul,  on  the  mornini;  of  tlie    l.Uh  of  May,  the  majestic  old 
man  was  led  into  the  vast  hall,  which  had  so  often  in  other  days 
nm^y-  with  the  sounds  of  mirth  and  revelry,  and  received  the  sentence  of 
death.    Then  he  was  taken  to  a  scaffold  in  the  hollow  square  in  front 
of  the  ancient  palace,  and  beheaded.     He  was  within  five  months  of  the 
completion  of  his  seventy-second   year.     His  property  was  confiscated  to 
the  state,  and  his  proud  and  prosperous  family  retluced  to  beggary. 

His  principal  adherents  were  imprisoned  for  life.  Hugh  Grotius,  who 
was  a  powerful  opponent  to  the  prospective  West  India  Company,  was 
sent  to  the  Castle  of  Loevenstein,  which  stood  on  an  island  formed  by  the 
Waal  and  the  Meuse.  He  was  an  illustrious  Dutch  jurist  and  author, 
and  influenced  a  large  class  of  people  who  were  not  directly  involved  in 
the  theological  controversy.  He  was  so  closely  guarded  in  his  prison  for 
a  time,  that  not  even  his  father  or  his  wife  were  allowed  an  interview 
with  him.  His  wife  at  last  obtained  permission  to  share  his  fate.  In 
her  society  and  in  close  study  he  passed  two  years,  during  which  time  he 
wi'ote  some  very  important  works.  His  wife  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
receiving  books  in  a  large  chest,  and,  finding  that  the  guards  had  grown 
somewhat  careless  in  its  examination,  she  ingeniously  managed  one  morn- 
ing to  have  Grotius  carried  out  in  it.  He  disguised  himself  as  a  mason, 
and  with  trowel  and  rule  made  his  escape  to  Antwerp.  He  afterward 
took  up  his  abode  in  Paris,  and  was  protected  by  the  French  government. 

Innnediately  after  the  removal  of  the  chief  antagonist,  Usselincx 
started  a  subscription  list  for  the  AVest  India  Company,  but  it  was 
filled   out   slowly.     The   States-General  were   unwilling  that   a  foreign 
element  should  create  to  itself  so  mighty  an  arm.     They  had  no  sym- 
pathy with  its  grand  purpose,  which  was  to  combat  and  worry  Spain,  and 
gather  its  recompense  from  the  spoils.     The  East  India  Company  openly 
and  persistently  opposed  the  whole  project.     For  a  year  scarcely  any 
progress  was  made.     Finally  the  English  umvittingly  added  the 
straws  which  was  to  turn  the  scale.     They  had  taken  cognizance 
of  the  Dutch  traffic  on  the  Hudson  Eiver,  and  instructed  their  minister 
at  the  Hague  to  remind  the  States-General  of  the  patent  which  James  I. 
granted  to  the  Plymouth  and  London  companies,  and  of  its  broad  juris- 
diction.    He  was  also  directed   to  warn  the  Dutch  statesmen  of  the 


46  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

impropriety  of  their  permitting  Dutch  vessels  to  visit  English  coasts  for 
purposes  of  traffic.  There  was  an  animated  diplomatic  correspondence 
on  the  subject,  each  government  trying  to  define  its  own  position,  and 
justify  its  own  acts,  and  establish  its  own  rights.  But  no  definite  results 
were  attained,  save  that  the  States-General  were  sharp-sighted  enough  to 
discover  that  the  only  power  by  which  they  could  possibly  hold  New 
Netherland  Avas  absolute  possession.  In  the  newly  drafted  constitution 
of  the  West  India  Company  was  a  clause  by  which  the  corporation 
would  be  obligated  to  people  the  so-caUed  Dutch  territory  of  North 
America.  The  prospective  company,  therefore,  was  suddenly  regarded 
with  less  disfavor.  In  a  few  weeks  it  received  decided  and  direct 
encouragement  from  the  Dutch  government ;  and,  after  many  birth- 
throes,  it  became  an  accomplished  fact. 

Probably  no  private  corporation  was  ever  invested  with  such 
enormous  powers.  But  the  right  to  the  vast  and  valuable  lands 
in  America,  with  which  it  was  endowed  by  the  States-General,  was  not 
legally  established,  and  was  the  seed  for  a  bountiful  harvest  of  discontent. 
The  company  was  organized  into  almost  a  distinct  and  separate  govern- 
ment. It  might  make  contracts  and  alliances  with  the  princes  and  the 
natives  comprehended  within  the  limits  of  its  charter.  It  might  build 
forts.  It  might  appoint  and  discharge  governors,  soldiers,  and  public 
officers.  It  might  administer  justice.  It  might  take  any  step  which 
seemed  desirable  for  the  promotion  of  trade.  And  its  admirals  on  dis- 
tant seas  were  empowered  to  act  independently  of  administration.  It 
was  required,  it  is  true,  to  communicate  with  the  States-General  from  time 
to  time  of  its  treaties  and  alliances,  and  to  furnish  detailed  statements  of 
its  forts  and  settlements,  and  to  submit  to  their  high  mightinesses  for 
approval,  all  instructions  for  prominent  officials,  and  apply  to  them  for 
high  commissions.  It  took  upon  itself,  however,  —  and  without  properly 
ai)preciating  the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking,  —  one  of  the  greatest  of 
])ul)lic  Ijurdens,  the  naval  war  against  a  powerful  enemy,  and  assumed  at 
once  a  thoroughly  dangerous  position.  Warfare  is  always  so  manifestly 
unprofitable,  that  to  undertake  it  without  the  aid  of  government,  in  any 
event,  is  sheer  folly.  "  Needful  assistance  "  was  promised,  but  the  com- 
pany soon  found  that  they  had  no  means  of  enforcing  the  fulfilment  of 
such  a  promise.  And  to  increase  their  future  difficulties,  the  Barneveld 
party  recovered  strength,  and,  in  course  of  years,  I'ound  in  the  De  Witts 
even  more  powerful  leaders  than  Barneveld  himself  had  been. 

The  West  India  Company  was  modelled  after  the  East  India  Company. 
It  was  guaranteed  the  trade  of  the  American  and  African  shores  of  the 
Atlantic,  precisely  as  the  East  India  Company  had  been  granted  the 


TIIH    WEST   JXDJA    COMPASY. 


Al 


ri^ht  to  stiiul  ships  lo  Asi;i,  lo  the  exclusion  of  tlic  other  iiihiihitaiits  ol'  the 
Dutch  iirovinees.  It  Wiia  divided,  like  the  East  Iiidiu  Company,  into 
five  ehaniheis,  or  boards,  which  were  located  in  the  live  cities  ol'  Amster- 
dam, the  Melise,  North  Holland,  Zealand,  and  Friesland.  Each  of  these 
chambers  was  a  separate  society,  with  mendxirs,  directoi-s,  and  vessels  of 
its  own.  The  capital  of  the  conqjany  was  six  niillinn  llmiiis,  —  idiout 
$2,500,000.  This  sum,  however,  was  not  divided  f(pially  lu-tween  the 
five  chambers,  but  Amsterdam  had  four  ninths  ;  Zealand,  two  ninths  ;  and 
each  of  the  other  three  chand)ers,  one  ninth.  In  nearly  the  same  pro- 
portion was  the  representation  in  the  general  connnittee  of  nineteen 
ilirectors  who  conducted  the  common  affaii-s  of  the  comi)any,  and  were 
calletl  the  "  College  of  the  XIX."  ^     They  adopted  the  ilemocratic  })rin- 


West  India  Company's  House. 


ciples  of  the  Belgians,  and  accorded  to  the  shareholders  a  voice  in  all 
important  proceedings,  which  was  a  constant  reproach  to  the  East  India 
Company,  and  created  no  inconsiderable  amount  of  slanderous  mis- 
representation and  ca^'il. 

As  soon  as  the  provisional  existence  of  the  company  had  become  a 
permanent  one,  there  was  a  change  in  the  tone  of  public  sentiment. 
Those  who  had  used  their  pens  Avith  the  utmost  virulence  to  prevent  its 
accomplishment,  turned  about  and  declared  it  to  be  the  first  move  on  the 
direct  road  to  national  prosperity.     Its  final  organization  was  delayed  two 

1  Charter  at  length,  in  Oroof,  Placant  Book,  I.  566  ;  Hazard;  Brodhcad :  Lambrechtscn  ; 
Ik  Lacf ;  Doc.  Histonj  of  X.  V.  :  O'CallaglMn  :  Biographical  and  Historical  Essay  on  the 
Dutch  Books  and  Pamphlets,  by  O.  M.  Asher,  LL.  D. 


48  HISTORY    OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

years  longer ;  cluring  which  time  two  questions  occupied  the  minds  of  all 
interested  parties.  "  Shall  the  Guinea  trade  and  the  salt  trade  be  integral 
parts  of  the  patent  of  the  company  ? "  The  aftirmative  gained  the  day. 
Then  arose  pecuniary  complications.  The  opposition  of  the  East  India 
Company  had  created  a  panic  in  regard  to  the  credit  and  character  of  the 
new  company,  and  the  directors  were  not  able  to  collect  a  sufficient 
amount  of  capital  to  commence  operations  until  they  had  twice  declared 
the  list  of  subscribers  closed.  The  original  charter  was  also  twice  ampli- 
fied in  certain  points  of  detail,  and  articles  of  internal  improvement 
adopted.  It  Avas  formally  approved  by  the  States-General  on  the  21st  of 
June,  1623. 

The  extraordinary  company  struck  out  boldly.  Its  fleets  often 
numbered  as  many  as  seventy  armed  vessels  each.  It  seemed 
destined  to  humble  Spain,  whether  it  suppressed  or  promoted  piracy.  It 
met  with  many  brilliant  successes.  Prizes  were  captured  of  such  value, 
that,  during  the  first  few  years,  the  shareholders  received  from  twenty- 
five  to  seventy-five  per  cent  upon  their  investments.  Although  the 
six  millions  of  capital  had  been  brought  together  with  diflftculty,  twelve 
millions  were  easily  added.  The  first  ten  years  of  its  existence  were 
marked  by  thi'ee  events  of  historic  importance,  —  the  taking  of  Bahia 
in  1624;  the  capture  in  1628  of  the  Silver  fleet,  which  consisted  of 
large  armed  transports  conveying  sUver  and  gold  from  the  South  Ameri- 
can mines  to  Spain;  and  the  conquest  of  Pernambuco  in  1630:  aU  of 
which  are  fondly  remembered  in  Holland.  But  its  history  might  ha^'e 
been  foretold.  There  were  defects  in  its  organization  which  rendered  it 
unable  to  establish  a  thriving  commerce  or  flourishing  settlements.  And 
the  possessions  which  it  obtained  were  never  governed  properly. 

Within  a  month  after  its  incorporation,  three  ships  were  sent  to  the 
West  Indies,  and  an  armed  expedition  dispatched  for  an  attack  upon 
Brazil.  New  Netherland  received  only  such  attention 
as  was  necessary  to  satisfy  the  States-General  that  it 
would  ultimately  be  colonized,  according  to  contract,  by 
the  company.  New  Netherland  affairs  were  intrusted  to 
the  Amsterdam  Chamber.  The  treasure  was  sufficient  to 
have  enriched  them  if  they  had  known  how  to  develop 
its  valuable  trade  and  fertile  lands.  They  blundered, 
as  bodies  of  men  with  more  light  and  wider  expei-ience 
have  been  continually  blundering  ever  since  their  time. 
They  desired  to  make  money  in  some  more  swift  and 
easy  manner,  and  failed  to  put  their  efforts  in  the  right 
Flag  of  West  India    place.     Thev  howcver   erected   the    indefinite   territorv 

company.  i  »/  " 


77//;  .\MSTi:i;i>AM  ciiAAini:ii.  49 

into  a  pruvinte,  with  a  grant  from  tlic  Stfites-Cfcnuial  dl'  tla;  armorial  dis- 
tinctions of  a  count.  Tlie  seal  was  a  shield  hearing  a  heaver  proper, 
surmounted  hy  a  count's  coronet,  encircled  hy  the  words  "Skmlllm  Novi 
Bklci." 

The  direttors  of  \.\\v  Amsterdam  ("hamlu'r  were  .lohii  De  Lact,  the  liis- 
torian,  Kiliaen  Van  Rensselaer,  Michael  Pauw,  Peter  Evertseu  lluH't, 
Jonas  Witsen,  Hendrick  llamel,  Samuel  Godyn,  and  Samuel  lilommaert. 
They  were  all  men  of  wealtli  and  etlucation.  Put  they  were  none  of 
them  very  deei)ly  interested  in  the  wild  Indian  country.  However,  they 
took  measures  to  secure  a  party  of  l*rotestant  Walloons,  to  .send  over  to 
their  new  possessions.  These  people  were  that  portion  of  the  Belgians  who 
were  of  Celtic  origin,  and  were  ingenious  as  well  as  brave  and  industrious. 
They  had  applied  the  year  before  to  the  English  for  permission  to  emi- 
grate to  Virginia,  but  the  conditions  offered  by  the  Virginia  Company 
bad  been  such  that  they  had  seen  fit  to  decline  them.  A  ship 
called  the  Xtw  Ndhcrlond,  commanded  by  Captain  May,  con- 
veyed thirty  of  these  families  to  our  shores.  They  brought  ^\•ith  them 
a  knowledge  of  the  arts  in  which  they  were  proficient,  and  were  dis- 
tinguished for  their  extraordinary  persistence  in  overcoming  difficulties. 
A  young  man  by  the  name  of  Dobbs  was  cue  of  the  passengers  in  this 
vessel.  He  w^as  the  ancestor  of  a  large  and  influential  family,  among 
whom  was  Dr.  Benjamin  P.  Aydelott,  a  well-known  physician  in  the  time 
of  Dr.  Hosack  and  Dr.  Francis.  Upon  their  arrival,  two  fiimilies  and  six 
men  were  sent  to  the  great  Fresh  River,  and  the  remainder  proceeded  to 
the  fort  on  the  Hudson  River,  excepting  eight  of  the  men,  who  remained 
at  Manhattan.  A  new  fort  was  immediately  projected  on  the  alluvial  soil 
now  occupied  by  the  business  portion  of  Albany,  and  called  Fort  Orange, 
in  honor  of  Maurice,  w^ho  was  greatly  beloved  by  the  Belgians. 

About  the  same  time  preparations  were  made  for  occupying  the  genial 
valley  of  the  South  or  Delaware  River.  A  few  traders  selected  a  spot  on 
its  east  bank,  near  the  present  town  of  Gloucester,  in  New  Jersey,  and 
built  a  fort  which  they  called  Fort  Nassau.  Later  in  the  season  other 
vessels  came  from  Holland,  bringing  settlers,  and  about  eighteen  persons 
were  added  to  the  colony  at  Albany.  Adrian  Joris,  the  second  to  Captain 
May  in  command,  sent  his  vessel  to  Holland  in  charge  of  his  son,  and 
stayed  wath  them  aU  winter.  Eelkens  was  arrested  in  January  for  im- 
prisoning a  Sequin  chief  on  board  his  yacht,  and  Peter  Barentsen  was 
made  commander  of  the  post  in  his  place. 

The  income  from  the  fur-trade  of  New  Netherland  during  that 
first  year  amounted  to  twenty-eight  thousand  guOders.     The  West 
India  Company,  who  were  already  elated  with  their  victories  in  Brazil, 
4 


50  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

were  gratified,  and  began  to  discuss  the  project  of  building  a  town  upon 
Manhattan  Island,  which  was  represented  as  a  point  of  great  natural 
beauty,  and  favorably  located  for  commerce.  To  test  the  disposition  of 
adventurers,  they  publicly  offered  inducements  to  such  as  might  wish 
to  emigrate  to  America.  Volunteers  were  not  wanting  in  populous 
Holland,  and  three  large  ships  were  soon  freighted,  also  one  fast  sail- 
ing yacht.  Six  entire  families  and  several  single  men,  forty-five  per- 
sons in  all,  with  household  furniture,  farming  utensils,  and  one  hundred 
and  three  head  of  cattle,  were  conveyed  to  Manhattan.  One  of  the 
party,  William  Verhulst,  succeeded  Captain  May  in  the  government,  as 
the  latter  was  suddenly  called  to  Holland  on  important  private  business. 

The  year  1625  was  marked  by  two  important  European  events  which 
had  a  direct  bearing  upon  the  future  prospects  of  New  Netherland.  The 
first  was  the  death  of  the  accomplished  Maurice,  at  the  Hague.  In  him 
the  "West  India  Company  lost  one  of  their  most  zealous  and  influential 
clianipions,  and  the  national  army  their  commander-in-chief.  The 
oftice  of  Stadtholder  was  conferred  upon  Frederick  Henry,  who  excelled 
the  military  Maurice  in  jjolitical  capacity,  and  succeeded  him  as  Prince 
of  Orange. 

The  other  event  w^as  the  death  of  James  I.  of  England,  and  the  conse- 
quent accession  of  Charles  I.  to  the  throne.  England  was  already  at  war 
with  Spain.  James  had  been  exasperated  at  the  failure  of  his  projects  in 
relation  to  the  marriage  of  Charles  with  the  Infanta,  Donna  Maria,  who 
subsequently  became  the  wife  of  the  Emperor  of  Germany.  He  had 
been  plunged  into  hostilities,  which  the  resources  of  England  were  illy 
able  to  sustain,  and  Charles  had  no  sooner  taken  the  scepter  in  his  hand 
than  he  commenced  negotiating  an  alliance  with  the  Dutch  Eepublic 
against  the  common  enemy.  Meanwhile  he  married  Henrietta  Maria, 
daughter  of  Henry  IV.  of  France.  She  came  to  England  with  a  train  of 
Roman  Catholic  priests  and  attendants,  which  quickly  stirred  the  English 
people  into  a  commotion,  and  intensified  the  hatred  which  they  bore 
towards  Eoman  Catholic  .queens.  Charles  was  a  monarch  of  elegant, 
gentleman-like  tastes,  of  dignified  manners,  and  of  great  obstinacy  of 
purpose.  He  could  not  apparently  conceive  of  any  obligation  on  the 
part  of  a  king  to  his  subjects.  He  set  himself  deliberately  at  work, 
in  defiance  of  all  law,  to  introduce  into  his  own  country  the  system  of 
government  which  prevailed  in  France.  He  had  not  by  any  means  the 
wretched  excuse  of  a  wife's  influence.  Henrietta  had  indeed  refused  to 
be  crowned,  lest  she  should  join  in  the  rites  of  the  Church  of  England. 
But  she  was  a  mere  child  in  years,  totally  uncultivated,  and  ignorant 
of  the  language  and  history  of  her  husband's  country,  and  knew  nothing 


77//;    MM!I!IA(;H    of   CHARLES    I.  ')\ 

whaloviT  iiliout  the  Aii^'liciiii  n-li^ioii.  She  li.id  liccii  not  only  Itctrotlicil, 
but  nmrrii'd  to  ("haili's  liy  |iio\y.  The  Duke  tie  ('hevreuse,  u  near  kiiis- 
inaii  of  the  kin^,  actcil  in  liiat  eajjurity.  At  the  ceremony,  which  took 
place  in  the  porch  of  Notre  Dame,  he  was  attired  in  hlack  velvet,  and 
wore  a  scarf  flowered  with  diamond  roses.  The  ])ride  wore  a  ma^niifi- 
cent  white  satin  robe,  threaded  with  <^old  and  silver,  and  flowered  with 
French  lilies  in  gems  and  diamonds.  The  Queen  mother,  Marie  de 
Medicis,  shone  like  a  pillar  of  precious  stones,  and  her  long  train  was 
borne  by  two  princes  of  the  blood,  Conde  and  Conti.  But  out  of  respect 
to  the  religious  feelings  of  Charles,  the  English  ambassadors,  and  even 
the  proxy  himself,  withdrew  from  the  Notre  Dame  during  the  coucluding 
mass.  The  cortege  of  the  bride  landed  at  Dover,  June  23d,  just  after 
suuset.  At  ten  the  next  morning  the  king  an-ived  while  Henrietta  was 
breakfasting.  She  rose  from  the  table,  hastily,  and  ran  down  a  pair 
of  stairs  to  gi-eet  him,  and  offered  to  kneel  and  kiss  his  hand ;  but  he  was 
too  full  of  gallantry  to  permit  her  to  do  so,  and  caught  her  in  his  arms 
and  foldeil  her  to  his  heart  with  many  loving  caresses.  She  had  been 
taught  to  say,  "  Sir,  I  have  come  to  your  Majesty's  country  to  be  com- 
manded by  you,"  but  the  set  speech  failed  her,  and  she  burst  into 
tears.  Charles  became  very  fond  of  her  and  took  great  jiride  in  her 
beauty  and  musical  powers,  but  he  never  discussed  matters  of  state  with 
her.  Pope  Urban  VIII.  was  exceedingly  averse  to  the  mamage.  He 
said,  "  If  the  Stuart  king  relaxes  the  bloody  penal  laws  against  the  Eoman 
Catholics,  the  English  will  not  suffer  him  to  live  long !  If  those  laws 
are  continued,  what  hajipiness  can  the  French  princess  have  in  her 
wedlock  ? "  These  words  were  ])rophetic,  as  we  shall  see  in  future 
cliapters. 

Finally,  through  much  astute  diplomacy,  the  treaty  of  alliance,  offen- 
sive and  defensive,  was  concluded  between  England  and  the  United 
Netherlands ;  each  nation  agTeeing  to  furnish  Heets  for  the  purpose  of 
destroying  the  Spanish  commerce  in  the  East  Indies.^  It  was  also  stipu- 
lated that  the  war  and  merchant  vessels  of  the  two  countries  should  be 
free  to  enter  the  ports  of  each  othejr.  One  of  the  first-fruits  of  this  new 
relationship  ^  was  a  meeting  of  the  West  India  Company  for  the  transac- 
tion of  special  business.  The  moment  had  arrived  when  the  colonization 
of  New  Netherland  might  be  attempted  without  probable  English  inter- 

1  Ccrrps  Dip.,  Vol.  II.  458,  478.  Chirendoa  Stale  Papers,  I.  41,  53.  Ailznna,  I.  671,  1226. 
Lon.  Doc,  I.  36. 

^  About  the  middle  of  October,  King  Charles  sent  the  Duke  of  Bnckinglmni  and  the  Earl 
of  Holland  as  ambassadors  extraordinary  to  the  States-General  to  negotiate  a  still  closer 
alliance.      Wassenaar,  XII.  39  ;  XVI.  13.     Dr  Loct.    Doc.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  III.  46,  47. 


52 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 


fereiice.  A  system  of  government  for  the  new  province  was  considered, 
and  various  plans  discussed  for  inducing  settlers  to  emigrate  across 
the  Atlantic.  A  governor  was  named,  and  three  weeks  later  received 
his  appointment.  It  was  Peter  Miimet,  of  Wesel,  in  the  kingdom  of 
Westphalia.  He  sailed  from  Amsterdam  in  December,  in  the  ship  Sea 
Meiv,  Captain  Adrian  Joris,  and  arrived  at  Manhattan  on  the  4th  of  the 
foUowing  May  (1626).i 

1  Leonard  Kool  came  to  New  Netherland  in  the  Sea  Mew,  as  private  secretary  for  Peter 
Minuet.  His  name  may  now  be  found  attached  to  grants  of  land  in  connection  with  that  of 
the  governor.  He  was  the  ancestor  of  the  Cole  family  in  this  State  ;  the  orthogi-aphy  of  tlic 
name  having  passed  through  a  variety  of  phases.     Eev.  David  Cole's  genealogical  trcr. 


Landing  of  the  Walloons  at  Albany. 


I'KTER   MINUET.  53 


CIIAI»TKU   IV. 


PURCHASE    OF    THE    SITE    OF   NEW   YORK. 

Peter  Minuet. —The  First  Buildings. —The  Horsk-Mill.  — The  Fiust  (iiui,  nous 
IN  New  Netherland. — Diplomatic  Correspondence.  —  The  Emba.ssy  m  Ply.m- 
outh. — New  Netherland  not  a  Pecuniary  Success. — The  Charter  ok  B'ree- 
DOM  AND  Exemptions.  — The  Manorial  Lords.  — Kiliaen  Van  Rensselaer.  —  The 
Van  Rensselaer  Manor-House.  —  The  Great  Ship.  —  Governor  Minuet  and 
Recall.  — 'Wrangling  among  the  Directors  ok  the  Company. 

THE  rocky  point  of  Manliattan  Island,  near  what  is  now  known  as 
the  Battery,  was,  on  the  6th  of  May,  1G26,  the  scene  of  one  of  the 
most  interesting  business  transactions  which  has  ever  occun-ed  iggg, 
in  the  world's  history.  It  was  the  purchase  of  the  site  of  the  May  6. 
city  of  New  York.  The  West  Intlia  Company  had  instructed  Peter 
Minuet  to  treat  with  the  Indians  for  their  hunting-grounds,  before  he 
took  any  steps  towards  the  erection  of  buildings.  He  accordingly  made 
a  somewhat  superficial  survey  of  the  island,  which  had  been  designated 
as  the  fielil  for  pioneer  operations,  and  estimated  its  area  at  about  twenty- 
two  thousand  acres.  ^  He  then  called  together  some  of  the  principal 
Indian  chiefs,  and  offered  beads,  buttons,  and  other  trinkets  in  exchange 
for  their  real  estate.  They  accepted  the  terms  with  imfeigned  delight, 
and  the  bargain  was  closed  at  once.  The  value  of  the  baubles  which 
secured  the  title  to  the  whole  of  Manhattan  Island  was  about  sixty 
guilders,  equal  in  our  currency  to  twenty-four  dollars.  On  the  part  of 
the  Dutch,  it  was  merely  a  politic  measure  to  establish  future  amicable 
relations  with  the  natives  of  the  country,  although  it  was  subsequently 
made  the  basis  of  the  company's  claim  to  the  territorj'.  It  was,  in 
itself,  a  commonplace  event ;  but,  in  its  relation  to  what  has  since  taken 
place,  it  assumes  peculiar  significance,  and  stands  out  in  immortal  char- 

1  In  Dutch  phraseology  "it  was  eleven  thousand  morgens  in  size."  The  Rhineland  rod 
was  the  Dutch  measure  for  land.  It  contained  twelve  English  feet  four  and  three  fourths 
inches.  There  are  five  rods  to  a  Dutch  chain,  and  six  hundred  scjuare  Dutch  rods  constitute 
a  morgen.     Peter  Faiiconnier's  Survey  Book;  171')  -  1734. 


54  HISTORY   OF  THE  CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

acters  as  the  chief  starting-point  of  the  great  commercial  capital  of  the 
west. 

Governor  Minuet  was  a  man  of  rare  energy  and  fuUy  equal  to  the 
situation.  He  had  had  some  East  Indian  experience,  and,  during  the  last 
two  years,  had  spent  several  months  in  South  America.  He  was  of  mid- 
dle age,  hair  slightly  flecked  with  gray,  a  somewhat  duU  black  eye,  and 
a  full-sized  robust  frame.  He  was  permeated  with  the  spirit  of  adven- 
ture, without  being  hampered  with  habits  of  luxury  and  indolence, 
Uke  his  Virginia  contemporaries.  He  was  brusque,  and  coarse,  and 
self-willed,  but  kind-hearted,  and  was  admirably  successful  in  winning 
the  confidence  of  the  Indians.  His  duties  were  midtifarious,  but  not 
remarkably  difficult,  since  the  people  to  rule  over  were  few  in  numbers 
and  obediently  disposed. 

He  organized  the  government  of  the  province  as  soon  as  he  had 
obtained  the  title  deed  to  Manhattan  Island.  The  supreme  authority, 
executive,  legislative,  and  judicial,  had  been  vested  in  him  by  the  com- 
pany, with  an  advisory  council  of  five  of  the  best  men  in  the  colony. 
These  were  Peter  By  velt,  Jacob  Ellertsen  Wissinck,  Jan  Jansen  Brouwer, 
Simon  Dircksen  Pes,  and  Eeynert  Harmenssen.  He  was  empowered 
with  the  administration  of  justice,  except  in  capital  cases,  when 
the  offender,  after  being  convicted,  must  be  sent  with  his  sentence 
to  Holland.  The  secretary  of  the  council  board,  and  also  of  the  prov- 
ince, was  Isaac  De  Ptasiers,  a  well-educated  young  Hollander  who 
arrived  in  the  same  vessel  with  Minuet.  After  him,  in  order  of  position, 
was  the  Schout- Fiscal,  a  sort  of  civil  factotum,  half  sheriff  and  half 
attorney-general,  and  the  special  custom-house  officer.  Jan  Lampo, 
of  Cantleburg,  received  the  appointment ;  but  he  knew  very  little  of 
law,  and  was  very  inefficient  in  every  particular.  He  was  allowed  to  sit 
in  the  council  during  its  deliberations,  but  had  no  voice  in  official 
proceedings.  His  compensation  was  in  the  civil  fines  and  penalties, 
and  such  portion  of  criminal  fines  and  confiscated  wages  as  the  governor 
and  council  after  prosecution  might  see  fit  to  bestow  upon  him.  He  had 
no  part  in  captured  prizes,  and  was  forbidden  to  receive  presents  under 
any  circumstances. 

Minuet  brought  over  with  him  a  competent  engineer,  Kryn  Fredrick, 
who  was  to  superintend  the  construction  of  a  fort,  that  being  wisely 
deemed  the  first  business  to  be  dispatched.  It  did  not  take  long  to  dis- 
cover a  triangular  spot  of  earth  hemmed  in  by  ledges  of  rock,  as  if 
modelled  by  Nature  herself  for  a  fortress.  It  had  a  commanding  view  of 
the  Bay  and  Narrows,  and  was  but  a  short  distance  from  the  water's  edge. 
This  was  chosen ;  but  when  the  work  was  accomplished  it  reflected  no 


TlIK   FIRST   UIILIJIMJS. 


55 


rcmarkiible  credit  upon  its  piojcLlDrs,  cx(;ei)t  so  i'ar  as  it  icspoiKhMl  to 
their  imniediute  uecessities,  I'or  it  was  simply  a  l.lock-liouse  with  red- 
cedar  palisades. 

About  tlie  same  liiiu'  was  erectcMl  a  warehouse  of  Manhattan  stone, 
having  a  roof  thatcheil  with  reeds.  It  was  primitive  even  to  ugliness, 
without  one  redeeming  touch  oi'  architeetiu'al  hnish,  hut  we  hon(jr  it  as 
the  pioneer  of  all  the  present  long  miles  of  co.stly  business  edifices.  One 
corner  of  it  was  set  apart  as  tlie  village  store,  and  was  the  depot  of  sup- 


The  First  Warehouse. 


plies  for  the  colony.     It  grew  erelong  to  l)e  much  haunted  liy  the  Indians, 
who  came  to  sell  their  furs  and  drink  the  "  white  man's  hre-water." 

In  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  several  vessels  arrived  from  Holland, 
each  laden  mth  passengers.  The  population  of  the  island  was  thus 
increased  to  nearly  two  hundred ;  thirty  or  more  cheap  dwellings  were 
built  around  the  fort,  and  the  prospect  was  animated  and  encouraging. 
Governor  Minuet,  Secretary  De  Easiers,  and  Sheriff  Lampo  occupied 
a  habitation  together  for  nearly  three  years.  NegTo  servants  performed 
the  labor  of  the  household. 

The  most  notable  building,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  useful, 
which  was  speedily  erected,  was  a  horse-mill.  It  was  located  on 
what  is  now  South  William  Street,  near  Pearl.  The  loft  was  furnished 
with  a  few  rough  seats  and  appropriated  to  the  purposes  of  religious 
worship.  Thus  we  may  observe  that,  while  the  settlement  of  the  prov- 
ince had  been  undertaken  with  no  higher  aim  than  commercial  specu- 
lation, the  moral  and  spiritual  necessities  of  its  people  were  not  entirely 
overlooked.  Two  "  comforters  of  the  sick  "  had  been  sent  over  with  the 
governor,  and  it  was  among  their  specified  duties  to  read  the  Bible  and 
lead  in  devotional  exercises  every  Sabbath  morning.     Two  years  later,  the 


56  HISTORY   OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

learned  and  energetic  Jonas  Michaelius  was  employed  to  officiate  at 
religious  meetings  and  instruct  the  children.  He  was  a  warm  personal 
friend  of  Governor  Minuet,  and  exerted  a  very  wholesome  influence 
in  the  community. 

An  event  occurred  late  in  the  autunm  which,  from  its  sad  consequences, 
deserves  special  mention.  A  Weekquaesgeek  Indian  came  from  West 
Chester,  accompanied  by  his  young  nephew,  to  sell  beaver-skins  to  the 
Dutch.  When  near  the  Fresh  Water  Pond,  he  was  met  by  three  of  the 
governor's  negro  servants,  who  seized  and  robbed,  and  then  murdered 
him.  The  boy  witnessed  the  scene  and  ran  away,  vowing  vengeance. 
He  gTew  up  to  manhood,  cherishing  the  terrible  oath  in  his  heart,  and 
many  long  years  afterward  carried  into  execution  his  Indian  ideas  of 
justice.  The  murder  was  concealed  from  the  authorities,  and  the  mur- 
derers escaped  punishment. 

The  fur-trade  was  so  prosperous  that  the  company  were  quite  elated 

with    their   operations  upon   Manhattan    Island.       Perhaps  the    reader 

will  be  grateful  for  a  glimpse  of  this  remarkable  commerce,  as  pictured 

in  a  leter  from  Peter  Schagen  of  Amsterdam,  dated  November  5, 

Nov.  5.  D  '  ' 

1626,  in  which  he  announces  to  the  company  the  arrival  of  the 
ship  Arms  of  Amsterdam,  direct  from  New  Netherland.    He  writes  :  — 

"  They  had  all  their  grain  sowed  by  the  middle  of  May,  and  reaped  by  the 
middle  of  August.     Our  people  are  in  good  heart  and  live  in  peace  there.     They 
send  thence  samples  of  summer  grain  :  such  as  wheat,  rye,  barley,  oats,  buck- 
wheat, canary-seed,  beans,  and  flax.     The  cargo  of  the  aforesaid  ship  is  :  — 
7,246    beaver-skins.  36  wild-cat  skins. 

178|  otter-skins.  33  minck-skins. 

675    otter-skins.  34  rat-skins. 

48    minck-skins.  Much  oak  and  hickory  timbers." 

The  same  letter  contains  a  record  of  the  birth  of  the  first  girl  in  New 
Netherland,  —  Sarah  Rapaelje,  daughter  of  Jan  Joris  Eapaelje,  born  June 
9,  1625.1 

^  There  have  been  various  statements  in  regard  to  the  residence  of  Rapaelje  at  the  time  of 
the  birth  of  Sarah.  But  the  depositions  of  his  wife,  Oatelina  Trice,  made  in  New  York  before 
Governor  Dongan,  the  year  prior  to  her  death,  establish  the  time  of  her  arrival  in  this  country 
and  her  first  residence.  Doc.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  III.  49-51.  They  went  first  to  live  at  Fort 
Orange,  Albany,  where  they  remained  three  years,  and  where  Sarah,  the  "first-born  Christian 
daughter  in  New  Netherland,"  was  bora.  They  afterwards  removed  to  Manhattan,  and  from 
thence  to  the  Waleboght  on  Long  Island.  The  age  of  Catelina  Trico,  at  the  time  her  deposi- 
tions were  taken,  was  eighty-three  years.  She  stated  that  she  came  to  this  country  in  1623 
or  1624,  in  a  ship  called  the  Unity  or  Eendragt,  commanded  by  Adraen  Joris,  and  that  there 
were  four  women  came  along  with  her  who  were  married  on  shipboard.     Wassenaer,  whose 


i)irL().\f.\ TIC  c<)i!i:i:sr(>M)K.\(i:.  .'»7 

TIk'  Dutrli  wciv  !)}•  no  niciins  ii^'iioriint  of  Llieir  iiciir  j)r(t.\iiiiily  to  tlitr 
Eii'-lisli  settlement  at  I'lynioutli,  iind  utter  a  while  he^'aii  lo  discuss  lea?. 
tlie  ])i(i|)iietv  (if  cstiiltlisliin^'  IViendly  intercourse  with  their  iieif,di-  March  9. 
lidis.  Minuet  wrote  two  letters  to  the  governor  of  I'lynioulh,  one  in 
Duleli  and  llie  other  in  Knj;lish,  which  contained  the  most  polite  exjires- 
sions  of  good-will,  and  an  oiler  of  various  kinds  of  goods  in  exchange  for 
heaver  and  otter  skins  and  t)ther  wares. 

A  courteous  response  came  pronij)tly  from  Governor  Bradford. 
He  assured  Governor  Minuet  that  for  the  cun-ent  year  they  were 
fully  sujjplied  with  necessaries,  but  would  trade  at  some  future  time 
should  the  rates  be  reasonable.  He  took  care,  however,  to  throw  out  some 
very  marked  hints  on  the  questionable  propriety  of  the  Dutch  traflic 
with  the  Indians  within  the  limits  of  the  king's  patent.  After  writing  it 
iu  English,  he  translated  his  letter  into  the  Duleli  language,  and  sent 
both  ct)pies. 

Governor  Minuet  wrote  again  iu  August.     His  language  Mas 

'^  '^  ^       '^  Aug.  7. 

expressed  in  the  same  general  friendly  terms,  but  he  firmly  main- 
taiued  the  right  to  trade  in  the  disputed  localities,  quoting  the  States- 
General  and  Prince  of  Orange  as  authority.     As  an  evideuce,  however, 
of  continued  good  feeling,  he  sent  to  Governor  Bradford  "  a  ruadld  of 
suyar  and  two  Holland  cheeses." 

Governor  Bradlbrd  replied  with  gi-eat  apparent  ileference  of 
manner,  only    deprecating  the  "  over-high  titles "  w^hich    Dutch 
politeness  required,  but  which  Puritan  usage  rejected,  and  repeated  his 
warning  respecting  the  boundary  question,  requesting  that  a  commissioner 
be  sent  to  confer  personally  in  the  case.^ 

The  secretarv,  Isaac  De  Easiers,  was  accordiuglv  dispatched  as 
ambassador  extraordinary  to  Plymouth.     He  was  a  man  of  fine 
address  and  pleasing  manners,  and  in  other  respects  well  fitted  for  this 
mission,  which  was  of  as  much  importance  in  those  primitive  days  as 

account  was  contemporaneous,  calls  the  ship  the  Netu  Netlierland.  Sarah  Rapaelje,  who  gave 
birth  to  fourteen  children,  was  the  maternal  ancestor  of  several  of  the  most  notable  families 
of  King's  County.  At  the  age  of  twenty-nine  she  was  the  widow  of  Hans  Hansen  Bergen,  the 
ancestor  of  the  Bergen  family,  with  seven  children.  She  afterwards  married  Theunis  Gysbert 
Bogaert,  the  ancestor  of  the  Bogaert  famUy  in  this  country.  Some  travelere  in  1679  visited 
Catelina  Trico,who  lived  "  in  a  little  house  by  herself,  with  a  garden  and  other  conveniences," 
and  evidently  regarded  her  as  a  distinguished  historical  personage.  Long  Island  H.  S. 
Coll.,  Vol.  I.  342.  It  will  be  observed,  that  the  statement  calling  her  daughter  Sarah  "the 
first-born  Christian  daughter  in  New  Xetherland,"  does  not  conflict  with  the  statement  of 
.leanVigne,  that  he  was  the  first  male  born  of  European  parents  in  this  pro\-ince. 

1  Bradford's  correspondence  in  jV.  Y.  H.  S.  Coll.,  I.  (Second  Series),  355,  360.  Baillie's 
Mem.  of  Plymouth,  1.  146,  147.  Prince,  N.  E.  Chron.,  249,  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.,  III.  51. 
Mortons  Memorial,  133.    Moidlon,  378. 


58  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

the  more  stately  embassies  are  at  the  present  time.     The  bark  Nassau 

was  brushed  up  and  freighted  with  a  few  articles  of  trade,  and  manned  by 

a  retinue  of  soldiers  and  trumpeters.     Early  in  October  he  arrived 

"^  °  *'■  at  Manomet,  the  advanced  post  of  the  EngHsh  colony,  near  an 
India^n  village  at  the  head  of  Buzzard's  Bay,  the  site  of  the  present  village 
of  Monument,  in  the  town  of  Sandwich,  and  from  there  he  dispatched 
a  courier  to  Plymouth  to  announce  his  presence  in  the  neighborhood. 
Governor  Bradford  immediately  sent  a  boat  for  him  and  his  cargo,  and  he 
Avas  escorted  with  many  and  imposing  ceremonies  to  the  town.^  He  was 
pleasantly  entertained  for  several  days,  and  sold  a  large  quantity  of  Indian 
corn,  which  enabled  the  English  to  better  carry  on  their  lucrative  trade 
with  the  natives.  He  established  a  commercial  relation,  which,  but  for 
the  subsequent  petty  quaiTels,  might  have  been  mutually  advantageous 
to  the  two  lone  European  colonies.  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  the 
whole  tonnage  of  New  England  then  consisted  of  "  a  hass-boat,  shal- 
lop, and  pinnace."  ^ 

When  he  returned  to  Manhattan,  De  Easiers  brought  another  letter 
from  Bradford  to  Minuet,  in  which,  saving  always  their  allegiance  to  the 
king  of  England,  he  pledged  the  performance  by  his  colony  of  all  good 
offices  toward  the  Dutch  in  New  Netherland. 

Just  about  that  time,  the  commander  at  Fort  Orange  committed  a  ter- 
rible blunder,  whereby  he  not  only  lost  his  own  life,  but  imperiled  the 
lives  of  all  the  settlers  in  that  region.  He  joined  a  party  of  Mohicans 
on  the  war-path  against  the  Mohawks,  which  was  in  disobedience  of 
orders,  for  the  Dutch  were  pledged  to  principles  of  neutrality  in  reference 
to  all  difEerences  among  the  Indian  tribes.  In  the  battle  which  fol- 
lowed he  was  killed,  also  three  of  his  men. 

His  folly  was  particularly  felt  in  the  sense  of  insecurity  which 
it  threw  over  the  colony ;  and  Minuet,  although  he  succeeded 
in  restoring  good  feeling  with  the  Mohawks,  deemed  concentration  a 
necessary  policy,  and  recalled  the  families  from  the  exposed  points,  Fort 
Orange,  Fort  Nassau,  and  Verhulsten  Island,  to  Manhattan,  where  they 
could  be  better  protected  in  their  interests  as  well  as  their  homes.  Six- 
teen soldiers  only  were  left  at  Fort  Orange,  and  the  traffic  to  the  South 
River  was  Umited  to  the  voyages  of  one  small  yacht  for  the  present. 

The  crop  of  furs  in  1628,  amounting  to  four  ship-loads,  yielded  fifty- 
six  thousand  guilders ;  and  two  cargoes  of  ship-timber  from  Manhattan 

1  Winslow's  account  in  Young's  Chronicles,  306.  Prince,  208.  Book  of  Court  Orders,  Vol. 
III.  82.    Pilgrim  Meinorials,  122-124. 

2  De  Hosiers'    Letter,  350.     Bradford's  Letter  Book,  364. 


k 


THE    STORY    OF    THE    GREAT    METROPOLIS 


This  work  has  been  long  anticipated  with  much  interest.  Its  preparation  has  occupied  a  period  of  over  ten 
In  scope  it  is  a  complete  literary  picture  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  our  great  American  metropolis.  It  is  comm^ 
by  scholars  to  all  classes  of  readers  as  "a  piece  of  choice  tapestry  that  will  hold  its  color  and  retain  its  intrinsic 
amid  the  living  literature  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  many  of  the  popular  books  of  to-day  shall  long  ago  have 
dead." 

The  well-known  reputation  of  Mrs.  LAMB  for  accuracy  in  historical  detail,  as  well  as  literarj'  skill  in  weaving 
together  and  condensing  facts,  added  to  fine  perceptions  and  a  graceful  and  felicitous  charm  of  expression  giving  vitality 
and  sparkle  to  every  pictured  thought,  is  a  guarantee  that  this  valuable  work  will  be  even  more  than  it  promises,  and 
it  cannot  fail  to  take  deservedly  high  rank  among  standard  authorities. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  volume  Mrs.  LAMB  sketches,  in  outline,  the  condition  of  the  Old  World  prior  to  tin 
settlement  of  the  New,  and  then  proceeds  to  give  a  careful  analysis  of  the  two  great  Commercial  Corporations  which  matli 
such  a  noise  all  over  Christendom  about  that  time,  and  to  which  New  York  owes  its  origin.  Her  gifted  pen  removes  mud 
of  the  dimness  and  dullness  with  which  the  early  settlement  on  Manhattan  Island  has  hitherto  been  obscured  ;  aii' 
the  narrative  widens  in  interest  as  the  little  colony  advances.  Indian  wars,  the  birth  of  the  city,  its  various  rulers,  it- 
subjugation  by  the  English,  its  after  vicissitudes,  the  Revolution  of  1689 — with  its  causes  and  effects — political  -disturb 
ances  and  the  continuous  chain  of  events  which  culminated  in  the  American  Revolution,  are  all  deltly  woven  into  a 
connected  story  as  fresh  and  readable  as  a  work  of  fiction.  From  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  in  1776,  the  author 
gathers  up  the  threads,  and  gives  an  accurate,  artistic,  and  comprehensive  account  of  the  City,  in  its  successive  phases 
of  development  during  the  century,  to  its  present  prominence  at  the  time  of  the  celebration  of  the  first  national  birth- 
da'-      Prominent  persons  are  intro(i»ced  in  all  the  decades,  with  choice  bits  of  family  history  and  glimpses  of  soc  i;il  life. 

Mrs.  lamb  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  to  whose  unrivalled  archives  she  has  h;ul  unre- 
strained access.  Many  of  the  old  families  of  the  City  have  freely  furnished  information  specially  interesting  to  the 
present  generation,  since  it  throws  into  the  New  History  the  charms  of  revelation.  The  book  will  contain  maps  of  the 
City  in  the  different  periods,  and  several  rare  portraits  from  original  paintings  which  have  never  before  been  engraved. 
The  illustrations  are  by  leading  artists  and  are  all  of  an  interesting  character. 


Notice     to      Subscribe  i\^s  . 

Every  Subscriber  to  The  History  of  New  York  City  is  expected  to  take  the  whole  number  of  "Parts"  to 
complete  the  work.  Subscribers  changing  their  residence  should  immediately  notify  the  Publishers,  or  their  Agent 
who  received  the  order,  and  give  NEW  ADDRESS  IN  FULL.  Payment  for  the  Parts  should  only  be  made  or 
delivery,  NEVER  IN  ADVANCE. 

A  strict  observance  of  these  suggestions  will  save  Subscribers  annoyance  and  loss,  and  enable  the  Publisher 
to  fill  their  orders  in  a  prompt  and  advantageous  manner. 

A.  S.  BARNES  &  CO.,  Publishers,  111  and  113  ^A/'illiam  St.,  N.  Y 

GENERAL     AGENCIES: 
CHICAGO,   BOSTON,   PHILADELPHIA,  WASHINGTON,   AND   NEW   ORLEANS. 


PART     2 


Price  50  cents. 


<i?  //^"yS^rs^^ 


i^rm 


'^^StB-ARNES  and  UU-3|^-^j 
neav  york- and  chica^go 


Copyright,  i8^,  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co. 
SOLID     OXSriL,-^    B^Sr    SXJBSCIilFXIOlSr- 


Ex  iCtbrtfi 


SEYMOUR    DURST 


FORT     NEW    AJASTERDAJ^ 


NEW    VORK    I   .       J  0^1 


Ifhen  you  leave,  please  leave  this  book 

Because  it  has  been  said 
"Ever  thing  comes  t'  him  who  waits 

£-xcept  a  loaned  book." 


Tllh:   VUARTim    OF    FllEEDOM S    ASH    F.X EM I'TIOSS. 


W,) 


Island  sold  uL  Aiiistcrdam  Inr  sixty-oiu'  thousand  ^Miildcrs.  Ilul,  ;dtci-  all, 
the  New  Netherlimd  colony  was  not  self-suppurtin^'.  Noikj  oI  llic  soil 
was  reclaimed,  save  wlial  supplied  the  wants  oi'  a  lew  tanners  and  their 


fauiilies;  and  the  only  exports  were  the  sp 
forest.  The  mode  of  life  pursued  l.y  the 
current  expenses  of  the  plantation  more  i 
unpalatable  fact.  The  company  hail  won 
iufatuatin<>-  wealth  had  ]»oured  into  its  ir 
1G28,  it  bad  captured  one  hundreil  and  lou 


iiiUaneous  productions  of  the 
people  was  irrej^'uhir,  and  tiic 
ban  the  receipts.  It  was  au 
Inilliant  victories  l)y  sea,  and 
•asuiy.  Ik'tween  162(i  and 
•  Spanish  prizes.     The  nation 


shared  in  the  glory,  but  the  company  alone  receivetl  the  sjxiils  of  this 
marvelous  war.  Its  dividends  were  advanced  suddenly  to  fifty  per  cent. 
Insij^niiticant  indeed,  in  comparison,  were  the  returns  from  New  Nether- 
laud.  The  very  subject  of  North  American  trade  became  painfully  unin- 
teresting, and  the  directors  avoided  allusions  to  it  whenever  jjossible. 
Finally,  at  one  (^i  their  meetings  a  plan  was  introduced  for  a  systematic 
and  extended  colonization  of  the  whole  province  of  New  Netherland. 
It  was  discussed  at  several  subsequent  meetings,  and  resulted  in  a 
selfish  commercial  scheme,  with  a  view  to  drawing  private  capitalists  into 
the  company's  ventures. 

The  scheme  was  a  charter  of  Freedoms  and  Exemptions,  ma-    1629. 
tured  and  adopted  by  the  company,  and  confirmed  by  the  States-  June?. 


General,  on  the  7th  of  June,  1627. 
articles,  and  was  remarkable  for  being 
tinctured  with  the  peculiar  social 
ideas  of  that  era,  and  of  promising 
to  transfer  to  America  the  most  ob- 
jectionable features  of  the  modern 
feudalism  of  Continental  Em-ope. 

It  offered  to  any  member  of  the 
West  India  Company  who  shoidd 
found  a  colony  of  fifty  adults  in  any 
portion  of  New-  Netherland,  —  except 
Manhattan  Island,  which  was  re- 
served to  the  company,  —  and  satisfy 
the  Indians  for  a  tract  of  land  not 
exceeding  sixteen  miles  on  one  side 
or  eight  miles  on  both  sides  of  a 
navigable  river,  and  extending  inland 
indefinitely,  the  title  of  Patroon,  or 
feudal  chief  of  such  colony  or  territory 


It  comprised  tliirty-one  inii)ortant 


Dutch  Wind  Mil 


and  the    colonists  under  such 


patroonships  were  to  be  for  ten  years  entirely  free  from  taxation,  but  would 


60  HISTORY   OF   THE  CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

be  bound  to  the  patroon  in  almost  absolute  servitude.  The  chief  him- 
self would  be  invested  with  full  property  rights,  and  granted  freedom  in 
trade,  —  except  furs,  which  the  company  reserved  to  themselves,  —  with 
sundry  and  various  limitations,  restrictions,  and  duties,  and  the  privilege 
of  hunting  and  fishing  within  his  own  domain.  The  company  prohibited 
manufactures  under  penalty  of  the  law,  but  promised  protection  to  the 
colonists  and  defence  against  all  enemies ;  the  completion  of  a  suitable 
citadel  on  Manhattan  Island;  and  a  supply  of  negTO  servants.  Each 
patroon  was  required  to  pro^'ide,  immediately,  for  the  support  of  a  min- 
ister and  schoolmaster,  and  to  make  an  annual  return  of  the  condition  of 
his  colony  to  the  local  authorities  at  Manhattan,  for  transmission  to  the 
company.  In  aU  its  provisions,  the  charter  carefully  recognized  the  com- 
mercial monopoly  and  political  supremacy  of  the  West  India  Company, 
and  was  in  harmony  with  the  aristocratic  sentiment  which  grew  with  the 
acquisition  of  wealth  in  Holland.  Almost  aU  the  real  estate  there,  out- 
side the  walls  of  the  towns,  was  in  possession  of  old  families  of  the 
nobility,  who  were  unwilling  to  part  with  any  portion  of  it.  In  the 
wonderful  new  country  it  was  very  apparent  that  a  man  might  become 
an  extensive  landholder  and  a  person  of  importance  with  compara- 
tive ease.  While  the  company  thus  made  great  show  of  caring  for  the 
rights  of  the  aboriginal  owners,  and  held  out  inducements  of  labor,  capi- 
tal, religion,  and  education,  it  selfishly  scattered  the  seeds  of  slavery  and 
aristocracy. 

As  might  have  been  expected,  there  were  men  among  the  directors 
of  the  company  who  stood  ready  to  seize  upon  the  choicest  localities,. 
to  the  discouragement  of  independent  emigrants  for  whom  the  charter 
was  intended.  Samuel  Godyn  and  Samuel  Blommaert,  who  had  had 
agents  prospecting  for  months,  purchased  through  them  a  beautiful  tract 
of  land  extending  from  Cape  Henlopen  thirty-two  miles  up  the  Avest 
shore  of  Delaware  Bay,  and  opposite  sixteen  miles  square,  including 
1630.  Cape  May.  They  called  it  Swaanendael.  The  title  was  attested 
June.  \yy  Governor  Minuet  and  his  council  at  Manhattan,  July  15,  1630, 
and  is  the  only  instrument  in  existence  which  bears  the  original  signa- 
ture of  that  august  body.^  The  purchase  was  actually  effected  on  the 
1st  day  of  June,  1629,  seven  days  before  the  bill  became  a  law,  and  was 
registered  at  Manhattan  on  the  19th  of  the  same  month. 

Kilien  Van  Rensselaer  was  one  of  the  oldest  and  wealthiest  of  the 
directors.     He  had  been  for  many  years  a  pearl  and  diamond  merchant, 

1  This  original  patent  was  found  by  Mr.  Brodhead  in  the  West  India  House,  at  Amster- 
dam, in  1841,  and  is  now  deposited  in  the  secretary's  office  at  Albany.  It  has  the  only  sig- 
natures known  to  exist  of  Minuet  and  his  council.     Brodhead,  I.  200.    O'Callagfutn,  I.  122. 


KiLiAKX   VAX  u/:\ssh'L. {/■:/:.  61 

iuul  liiiii  takon  a  very  active  part  in  tin-  ronnatioii  of  tin-  Wcsl  Iiidiii 
Compiiiiy.  Sevei-iil  of  liis  own  vi'ssels  liad  been  jjliiced  at  the  (lisj)08iU 
of  the  corporation,  and  he  had  twice  advanced  money  to  save  its  credit, 
and  hasten  its  final  oi-j,'anization.  He  was  descen(h;d  from  a  htn;,'  line  of 
honorable  ancestors,  and  was  himself  an  educated  and  refined  j^'entle- 
inan  of  the  old  school.  Karly  in  lif?  he  had  marrie<l  lIelle;,'onda  Van 
Bylet,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Johannes.  In  H)27,  he  was  married 
the  second  time,  to  Anna  Van  Wely,  and  by  her  he  had  four  sons  and 
ftmr  daughters.^  In  the  mean  time  he  had  sent  an  agent  to  New 
Netherland,  and  traded  with  the  Indians  for  land  upon  the  west  side 
of  the  Hudson  Elver,  from  about  twelve  miles  so\ith  of  Albany  to 
Smack's  Island,  "stretching  two  days  into  the  interior."  Soon  after, 
he  conchuleil  the  purchase  of  all  the  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  same 
river,  both  north  anil  south  of  Fort  Orange,  and  "  far  into  the  wiklerness." 
This  gi-eat  feudal  estate  included  the  entire  teiTitory  comprised  in  the 
present  counties  of  Albany,  Columbia,  and  Rensselaer,  and  was  named 
Rensselaerswick.  Van  Rensselaer  himself  remained  in  Holland,  but 
managed  bis  aflairs  through  a  well-chosen  ilirector.  His  sons  took  u}) 
their  abode  here  after  his  death,  and  were  successive  lords  of  the 
colony.  Jeremias  ^  married  Maria,  daughter  of  Oloff  S.  Van  Cortlandt ; 
and  Nicolaus  married  Alida  Schuyler.  The  Van  Rensselaer  name  has 
been  handed  down  to  us  through  every  generation  of  men  who  have 
since  had  their  day  in  New  York,  and  is  interwoven  with  all  that  is 
historical  in  city  and  State.  The  family  brought  with  them  the  social 
distinctions  of  the  Fatherland.  They  brought  massive  and  elaborately 
carved  furniture,  and  large  quantities  of  silver-plate  which  bore  the 
family  arms.     They  brought  portraits  of  their  ancestors,  executed  in  a 

1  Tlie  names  of  the  children  of  Kiliaen  Van  Rensselaer  were  :  1st,  Johannes,  who  married 
Iiis  cousin,  Elizabeth  Van  Twiller  ;  •2d,  Maria ;  3d,  Jeremias,  who  married  Maria  Van  Cortlandt ; 
4th,  Hellegonda  ;  5th,  Jan  Baptist,  who  married  his  cousin,  Susan  Van  Wely  ;  6th,  Elenora  ; 
7th,  Susan,  who  mamed  Jan  De  Lacourt  ;  8th,  Nicolaus,  who  married  Alida  Schuyler  ; 
9th,  Rickert,  who  married  Anna  Van  Beaumont. 

^  Jeremias  Van  Rensselaer  and  Maria  Van  Cortlandt  had  a  daughter  Anna,  who  mar- 
ried her  cousin,  Kiliaen,  the  son  of  Johannes  Van  Rensselaer.  He  died  shortly  after, 
and  she  was  married  the  second  time  to  William  Nicolls  of  New  York.  Her  daughter 
Mary,  in  1713,  became  the  wife  of  Robert  Watts,  the  ancestor  of  the  Watts  family  in  this 
country.  Jeremias  Van  Rensselaer  and  Maria  Van  Cortlandt  had  also  a  son  Kiliaen, 
who  married  his  cousin,  Maria  Van  Cortlandt,  and  who  died  in  1701,  leaving  sons,  Jere- 
mias and  Stephen,  successive  lords  of  the  manor.  Stephen  died  1747,  and  left  a  son 
Stephen,  who  married  Catharine  Livingston,  and  died  in  1769.  The  son  of  this  last 
was  General  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  who  was  born  in  1764,  and  who  was  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor of  New  York  in  1795  and  1798.  His  first  wife  was  Slargaret  Schuyler,  and  their  son 
Stephen  was  the  late  patroon.  His  second  wife  was  Cornelia  Patterson,  and  they  had  nine 
children.     The  other  branches  of  the  Van  Rensselaer  family  we  shall  refer  to  hereafter. 


62 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW    YORK. 


Van  Rensselaer  ManorHouse   n  1874 


superior  manner  for  the  period,  and  many  original  paintings.  A  manor- 
house  was  erected,  which  in  its  internal  arrangement  and  finish  was 
very  similar  to  the  Holland  residence  of  the  Van  Eeusselaers.  There 
the  lord  resided  among  his  tenantry,  and  maintained  the  same  dignity 
and  authority  as  tlie  lauded  lords  in  Europe. 

Van  Eensselaer  had  pe- 
culiar  facilities  for  peopling 
his  new  dominion,  and  sent 
out  his  own  ships  with  la- 
boiers  and  emigi-ants  and 
implements  of  husbandry. 
There  was  system  in  his 
management,  and  there  was 
order  and  method  in  the  en- 
tne  regulation  of  the  colony 
itself  Hence  it  was  pros- 
peious,  while  the  rest  of  the 
piovince  was  disturbed  by 
Miction,  inefficient  rulers, 
and  Indian  wars. 
About  the  same  time  that  Eeusselaerswick  was  founded,  Michael  Pauw 
purchased  Staten  Island,  Hoboken,  Paulus  Hook,  and  the  Jersey  shore 
opi)()site  Manhattan,  extending  inland  a  great  distance.  He  gave  it  the 
pleasant-sounding  name  of  Pavonia.  He  planted  a  little  colony,  which 
was  called  The  Commune,  and  the  point  where  they  first  settled  is  com- 
memorated by  the  present  romantic  little  village  of  Communipauw. 

Thus  three  of  the  most  important  localities  in  the  province  were  art- 
fully secured  before  the  rest  of  the  company  were  fairly  awake.  The 
storm  of  discontent  which  arose  has  scarcely  been  equalled  in  the  history 
of  private  corporations.  The  new  patroons  were  accused  of  fraud  and 
double-dealing,  and  the  quarrel  assumed  alarming  proportions.  There  was 
an  indignant  denial  of  any  endeavor  to  take  an  unfair  advantage  of  the 
spirit  of  the  charter,  and,  as  a  process  of  conciliation,  other  members  of  the 
company  were  taken  into  partnership  in  the  speculation.  Van  Eensselaer 
divided  his  purchase  into  five  shares,  retaining  two  for  hhnself  He  sold 
one  to  John  De  Laet,  the  historian,  and  two  to  Samuel  Blommaert. 
Godyu  and  Blommaert  divided  their  Delaware  property  with  Van  Eens- 
selaer, De  Laet,  and  Captain  David  Pietersen  De  Vries.  The  latter  had 
just  returned  from  a  three-years'  voyage  to  tlie  East  Indies,  where  he  had 
been  engaged  in  several  notable  maritime  enterprises.  By  request  of  the 
new  firm,  he  took  charge  of  an  expedition  to  the  Delaware,  conveying 


THE    11  HEAT   Sill  I'.  fi3 

tliiUuT  tliirty  settlers,  willi  all  the  iiecessiiries  tor  the  cultivulidM  ..f  tolmeco 
ami  j'Tuiii.      lie  laiiilrd  tluMii,  directed  in  the  \V(nk  nl    ]>rr|iiUMiL; 
their  tields,  and   iidt   until   their  first  seed  wi us  snwn  did   lir  turn 
his  fUce  aifaiii  to  Holland.     It  was  the  purpose  of  these  ))atrooris  to  i)roHe- 
cute  the  whale-lishery  on  the   Delaware  coiust,  copyinf,'  after  the  French, 
who  had  made  the  husines-s  so  lucrat^c  in  a  more  northern  hititude. 

This  matter  of  feudal  estates  took  \\\>  the  whole  attenticm  of  the  com- 
pany for  a  time.  Manhattan  Island  was  scarcely  noticed,  and  improve- 
ments were  entirely  ignored.  The  houses  which  were  standing  were 
only  sufficient  for  the  actual  accommodation  of  the  peoj)le ;  and,  as  we 
have  seen,  they  were  exceedingly  simple  in  construction.  The  best  of 
tliem  were  of  hewn  plank,  roofed  with  reeds.  Many  were  built  entirely 
of  bark.  But  few  trees  as  yet  were  cut  away,  except  for  shipment  to 
Holland.  Not  a  ridge  was  smoothed  down,  and  only  a  few  little  patches 
of  earth  had  been  brought  under  cultivation.  The  fur-trade  absorbed 
what  there  was  of  energy  and  industry. 

It  was  soon  found  that  the  patroons  w'ere  trading  with  the  Indians 
independently  of  the  corporation.  Another  quarrel  ensued,  this  time 
more  immediately  among  the  directors  of  the  Amsterdam  Chamber.  It 
was  finally  referred  to  the  College  of  the  XIX.  The  patroons  were  self- 
willed  and  self-opinionated.  They  had  enormous  interests  at  stake,  and 
they  persisted  in  their  right  to  the  fur  traffic,  under  a  too  liberal  con- 
struction of  the  charter.  Able  lawyers  were  employed  on  both  sides, 
and  the  dispute  became  so  violent  that  for  a  long  time  bloodshed  was 
apprehended. 

Meanwhile,  two  Belgian  ship-builders  visited  Maiduittan  and  tried  their 
skill  in  converting  some  of  the  fine  timber  into  an  immense  ship.  Minuet 
encouraged  them,  and  supplied  them  from  the  company's  funds.  They 
accomplished  the  \mdertaking ;  and  a  vessel  of  eight  hundred  tons'  burden, 
which  carried  thirty  guns,  was  launched  in  New  York  Bay.  It  proved 
before  it  was  finished  more  costly  than  had  been  expected ;  and  when  the 
bills  came  before  the  directors  of  the  company  in  Holland,  the  whole 
proceeding  was  severely  criticised.  The  States- General  regarded  it  as  a 
sample  of  the  bad  management  of  the  corporation.  The  shareholders 
grumbled  because  they  were  obliged  to  help  pay  for  such  an  exhibi- 
tion of  foUy.  The  press  censured  the  Amsterdam  Chamber  in  im- 
sparing  terms ;  and  the  people  talked  about  the  ship  in  their  work- 
shops and  stores,  and  speculated  upon  the  wouderfid  trees  in  America. 
It  was  full  tw'o  hundred  years,  however,  before  another  vessel  of 
such  mammoth  proportions  was  built  in  this  country.  The  fame  of 
this  extraordinary  naval   architecture  was,  as  a  matter   of  course,  car- 


64  HISTORY    OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YOBK. 

ried  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  excited  the  envy  of  all  the  Euro- 
pean powers.  And  it  paved  the  way  for  the  States-General  to  enter 
into  a  rigid  examination  of  the  affairs  of  the  West  India  Company. 
They  decided  against  the  patroons,  who  were  accused  of  being  vastly 
more  interested  in  tilling  their  coft'ers  with  the  proceeds  of  private  trade 
with  the  Indians,  to  which  they  w^'e  not  entitled,  than  in  the  proper 
colonization  of  the  country.  Minuet  \\'as  suspected  of  working  in  their 
interests,  as  he  had  officially  ratified  their  purchases ;  and  the  company 
was  advised  to  recall  him.  It  was  accordingly  done.  Conrad  Notleman 
was  appointed  sheriff"  of  Xew  Netherland,  and  sent  over  to  supersede 
Lampo  ;  he  was  intrusted  with  letters,  instructing  Minuet  to  rejiort  him- 
self immediately  in  Holland. 

1638.  Minuet  left  his  government  in  the  hands  of  his  council,  of 
Maxch  19. -which  Jan  Van  Eemuiid  was  secretary,  De  Eiusiers  having  falleu 
into  disgrace  with  the  governor  some  time  before.  He  sailed  in 
the  Emdragt,  March  19,  1632.  Lampo  and  a  number  of  discontented 
families  were  also  passengers.  They  were  driven  into  Plymouth,  Eng- 
land, by  a  terrible  storm,  and  were  detained  there  on  a  charge  of  illegally 
trading  in  King  Charles's  dominions. 

Minuet  promptly  communicated  the  intelligence  to  the  com- 
'  i)any,  and  also  to  the  Dutch  minister  at  Whitehall.  The  latter 
hastened  to  Newmarket,  where  the  king  and  his  court  were  at  that 
moment,  obtained  audience  of  his  Majesty,  and  remonstrated  earnestly 
against  the  injustice  of  the  whole  proceeding,  asking  for  an  order  for  the 
Eavdragf s  immediate  release.  Charles  declined  giving  it,  on  the  ground 
that  he  "  was  not  quite  sure  what  his  rights  were." 

Tlie  main  features  of  the  minister's  interview  with  the  king  ^^■ere  soon 
laid  before  the  States-General.  It  provoked  another  spirited  correspond- 
ence between  the  two  nations.  The  Dutch  statesmen  claimed  that  they 
had  discovered  the  Hudson  Eiver  in  1609 ;  that  some  of  their  people 
had  returned  there  in  1610;  that  a  specific  trading  charter  had  been 
granted  in  1614;  that  a  fort  and  garrison  had  been  maintained  there 
until  the  formation,  in  1623,  of  the  West  India  Company,  which  had 
since  occupied  tlie  country  ;  and  gi'eat  stress  was  laid  upon  the  i)ur- 
cliasc  of  the  laud  from  its  aboriginal  owners. 

The  English  based  their  claims  upon  the  discovery  of  America  by 
Cabot,  and  upon  the  patents  granted  by  James  I.  They  declared 
that  tlie  Indians  were  not  bona  fide  possessors  of  the  soil,  and  that  even  if 
they  were,  they  could  not  give  a  legal  title,  unless  all  of  them  jointly 
contracted  with  the  purchaser.  They  kindly  offered  to  allow  tlie  Dutch 
to  remain  in  New  Netherland  if  they  would  submit  themselves  to  the 


WliASdLIXa    AMOXd    THE    Dl l:KCT()US. 


Eu^'lish  ^(•vfrniiiciit,  dllicrwisc  tlicy  would  not  lie  i.i'riiiittf(l  "to  riuTtnicli 
upon  a  colony  of  such  iniiiorliuice  us  New  Ku^'luntl." 

Sir  John  Coke  was  llui  author  of  most  ol'  the  Kii;j;lisli  stale  ^^  ^ 
papers  rehitin^-  to  this  subject;  but  in  .lune  of  the  same  year,  Sir 
Francis  Winclehanke  was  appointed  Secretary  of  State.  It  was  lianlly 
considered  advisable  to  endmrrass  ^ the  ibrei^ni  relations  of  a  country, 
when  its  own  i)rivate  allaii-s  were  already  suUiciently  complicated  :  hence 
Charles  contented  himself  with  the  assumi)tion  of  superiority,  and  did  n(jt 
press  the  question  for  a  settlement.  In  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  the 
Lord  Trciisurer  ([uietly  released  the  Eeiulmijt. 

The  interference  of  the  States-General  did  not  .settle  the  unlortunate 
disi)utes  among  the  directors  of  the  company.  Upon  Minuet's  arrival  iu 
Holland,  commissaries  were  dispatched  to  New  Netherland  to  post  iu 
exery  settlement  the  company's  proclamation,  forlndding  any  person, 
whether  patroon  or  vassal,  to  deal  in  sewau,  peltries,  or  maize.  The  large 
approi)riations  of  temtory  were  bad  enough,  but  not  half  so  exasperating 
as  individual  interference  in  a  trade  which  was  the  company's  only  source 
of  profit,  and  through  which  alone  it  could  hope  to  recomi)ense  itself  for 
the  expenditure  already  occasioned  by  the  unprofitable  province  of  New 
Netherland.  "  lUit,"  said  \m\  Iieusselaer,  "  we  patroons  are  privileged, 
not  private  persons."  Again  and  again  were  the  various  clauses  in  the 
charter  analyzed  and  interpreted.  It  was  a  knotty  tangle  ;  and  amid.st  the 
wrangling  over  the  water,  the  population  of  Manliatl;iu  Island  diminished 
latliei  than  mtieased 


Purchase  of  Manhattan  Island. 


66 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 


CHAPTER    V. 

1633-1638. 
GOVERNOR   VAN   TWILLER. 

WouTER  Van  Twiller. — Captain  De  Vries. — Van  Twiller  and  the  English 
Vessel. — Captain  De  Vries  and  the  Governor. — The  First  Minister. —The 
First  Church  and  Parsonage. — The  First  Schoolmaster.  —  Buildings  and  Im- 
provements.—  New  Amsterdam.  —  Beginnings  of  Hartford. — Troubles  with 
the  Engllsh. — Quarrels  with  the  Patroons. — Quarrels  with  the  English. — 
Fort  Amsterdam.  —  Excess  and  Irregularities.  —  Purchase  of  Lands.  —  Gov- 
ernor Van  Twiller's  Recall. 


THE  Amsterdam  Chamber,  having  at  last,  as  was  believed,  obtained 
mastery  over  the  patroons,  decided  to  establish  forts  and  mills  in 
New  Netherland,  in  order  to  give  wider  scope  to  their  mercantile  oper- 
ations. Despite  his  private  interests,  Van  Eensselaer  had  great 
influence  among  the  directors,  and  succeeded  in  procuring  the 
appointment  of  Wouter  Van  Twiller,  one  of  his  relations  by  marriage, 
to  the  command  of  the  colony.  It  was  a  politic  measure  as  far  as  he  was 
concerned ;  and  it  was  a  stupid  concession  on  the  part  of  the  company. 

Van  Twiller  had  been 
a  clerk  in  the  com- 
pany's warehouse  at 
Amsterdam  for  nearly 
five  years,  and  in  the 
mean  time  had  made 
two  voyages  to  the 
Hudson  Kiver  in  the 
employ  of  Van  Eens- 
Autograph  of  Van  Twiller.  selaer,  who  had  Select- 

ed him  as  a  fit  person  to  attend  to  the  shipment  of  cattle  to  Rensselaers- 
wick.  Van  Twiller  claimed  to  know  all  about  affairs  in  New  Netherland. 
He  was  in  point  of  fact  a  shrewd  trader;  but  lie  had  no  practical  knowledge 
of  goA'-ernment,  and  was  ill-qualified  to  manage  the  general  concerns  of  a 
remote  ])rovince,  shaken  with  internal  jealousies  and  threatened  with  out- 


f 


WOrTKi:    VA.\    TWII.LKI!.  ^)7 

side  ii'4<;iv.ssi()ii.s.  Ho  wiis  ii  short  stout  iimii,  willi  closc-cropipcd  sandy  hair, 
siimll  i)alo-l)hie  eyes  set  deep  in  a  full  round  fan',  and  an  uncertain  mouth. 
He  was  j,'ood-natured  and  kind-hearted,  liut  irrestilute,  eiusily  swayed  l»y 
strou^'er  wills,  narrow-minded,  slow  of  thou^dit,  word,  and  deed,  and 
orievously  delicient  in  his  understandin<,'  of  men  and  their  motives. 

He  arrived  at  Manhattan  early  in  the  sprinjf.  His  ve.ssel,  the  Zoiithcnj, 
captured  a  Spanish  caravela  durinif  the  voyage,  and  anchored  it  sid'ely  in 
front  of  Maidiattan  Island.  The  new  governor  was  attended  by  one  hun- 
dred and  four  soldiers,  the  iirst  military  force  which  landed  upon  our 
shores.  His  advent  was  hailed  with  cheers  and  enthusiasm ;  and  with 
much  wine  and  ceremony  he  was  ushered  into  authority.  His  council 
consisted  of  Jacob  Hansen  Hesse,  Martin  Genitsen,  Andries  Hudde, 
and  Jacques  Bentyn.  They  were  men  of  comprehensive  minds,  who 
had  been  reared  to  habits  of  industry  in  Holland,  and  were  able  to 
render  material  assistance  to  the  heavy,  indolent  Van  Twiller.  The 
secretary  of  the  colony,  Van  liemund,  was  intelligent,  and  also  helped 
towards  smoothing  the  pathway  of  that  dull-witted  ruler  and  inexi)eri- 
enced  traveler  on  the  road  to  fame.  Cornells  Van  Tienhoven,  a  bright 
young  man  of  good  education,  was  appointed  book-keeper  of  monthly 
wages,  and  Michael  PaiUusen  was  made  commissary  of  Tauw's  colony 
at  I'avonia.     Paulus  Hook,  now  Jersey  City,  derived  its  name  from  him. 

A  few  days  after  the  arrival  of  Van  Twiller  at  ilanhattan,  a 

■^  .     Apnl  16. 

yacht  was  seen  coming  into  the  bay;  and  ere  the  sun  set  ('ai)lain 
De  Vries  announced  himself  at  the  fort.  He  had  left  Holland  some  time 
before  the  sailing  of  the  Zouthenj,  as  early  as  November,  and  when  he  had 
reached  Swaanendael,  found  the  little  post  destroyed,  and  the  grovnid 
bestrewed  with  the  heads  and  bones  of  his  murdered  people.  After 
various  stratagems,  he  succeeded  in  persuading  some  of  the  Indians  into 
coming  on  board  his  vessel,  and  through  attractive  presents  drew  from 
thein  the  story  of  a  terrible  tragedy.  The  Dutch,  in  keeping  with  theii" 
time-honored  customs,  had  erected  a  pillar,  and  fastened  to  it  a  piece  of 
tin,  upon  which  was  inscribed  the  arms  of  Holland.  An  Indian  chief, 
thinking  it  no  harm,  had  stolen  the  shining  metal  to  make  himself  a 
tobacco-pouch.  Hossett,  the  commander  of  the  post,  was  indiscreet 
enough  to  express  great  indignation,  and  thereupon  some  Indians  who 
were  particularly  attached  to  him  killed  the  chief  who  had  confiscated 
the  tin.  Hossett  rebiiked  them  for  committing  such  a  crime,  and  they 
went  away.  But  a  few  days  afterwards  the  friends  of  the  murdered 
chieftain  resolved  to  be  revenged,  and,  coming  suddenly  upon  the  men  as 
they  were  at  work  in  the  tobacco-fields,  massacred  them  all.  De  Vries 
wisely  treated  with   the  same  Indians  for  peace;  and  when   they  were 


68 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY   OF  NFW    YORK. 


at  last  induced  to  bring  with  theiu  their  chief,  he  formed  a  circle 
after  their  own  fasliion,  and  gave  them  blankets,  bullets,  axes,  and 
trinkets,  with  which  they  were  greatly  pleased,  and  they  went  away 
promising  that  he  should  not  be  harmed. 

He  then  tried  to  establish  a  whale-tishery,  but  after  spending 

March  U.  J '  tf  o 

some  time  in  fruitless  eftbrts,  decided  that  it  would  not  prove 
paying  business  there,  and  sailed  to  the  James  liiver,  where  he  was  cour- 


Portrait  of  De  Vr 


teously  received  by  Sir  John  Harvey,  the  governor  of  Virginia.  He  re- 
mained several  days,  greatly  admiring  the  country,  which  was  already 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  with  well-stocked  gardens,  and  Prov- 
ence  roses,  apple,    cherry,  pear,   and   peach   trees   about   the    houses. 


CM'TMX    l)E   17.7 /•;.■».  09 

lliirvcy,  witli  ;,M'iii;il  IVaiikiii'ss,  inmluccil  u  iiuip,  ami  tried  to  cunviiK/i! 
i)e  Vrii's  tluit  llic  wlidlc  ((luiitry  in  tlii'  n';,M()ii  of  Swaaiifiiiliicl  was  tlio 
property  nf  llic  kiii;^  ol'  Mnolaiul  ;  li\it  lie  was  very  aiiiialily  tlisjioscMl 
towards  tlic  Diilcli  nn  tin;  Nortli  River,  notwitlistaiidiiiu',  and  a  plra.saiit 
iiitereouisc  was  opened  hetweeti  the  two  colonies. 

Captain  De  Vries  uus  a  hron/ed,  weather-beaten  sailor  of  tlu;  old 
seliool,  without  family  ties,  who  had  seen  the  world  I'roni  many  points 
oi'  observation,  and  had  been  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  the  most  culti- 
vateil  men  and  the  rudest  barbarians.  He  was  tall,  muscular,  and  hard- 
visaged,  but  soft-voiced  as  a  woman,  e.X(;i'i)t  when  ardused  by  passion. 
He  was  cpiick  of  perception,  with  great  power  ol  will,  and  rarely  ever 
erred  in  judgment.  lie  was  the  guest  of  Van  Twiller  wliile  .stopjiiug  at 
Manhattan,  and  a  more  striking  contrast  than  the  two  men  pre.sented 
could  hardly  be  imagined. 

The   .second   day  after  his   arrival,  the   Kn<ilisli  shii)    Willinin 

•'  .  April  18. 

anchored  in  the  bay  ;  and  it  was  soon  discovered  that  Eelkins,  who 
had  been  dismissed  1'roni  Fort  Orange  for  misconduct  some  years  before, 
was  on  board  as  supercargo.  The  governor  and  several  of  his  officei-s 
were  invited  to  dine  on  the  vessel,  and  were  accompanied  by  Captain  De 
^'ries.  The  immoderate  use  of  wine  and  consequent  disorder  astonished 
the  iMiglisli  sailors,  who  were  under  strict  discipline,  and  measured  the 
authoiily  of  the  feeble  Dutch  governor  accordingly.  They  stayed  some 
days  in  trout  of  the  little  town,  and  then  announced  their  intention  of 
sailing  to  Fort  Orange,  and  trading  with  the  Indians,  with  whom  Eelkins 
was  well  acquainted.  A'an  Twiller  was  startletl  as  from  a  dream,  and 
issued  orders  to  the  contrary ;  but  the  William  quietly  weighed  anchor, 
and  went  on  her  way  in  the  most  detiant  manner.  We  clip  the  following 
from  the  deposition  of  one  of  her  crew,  as  it  best  explains  the  scene  :  — 

"  The  Dutch  there  inliabitiuge  send  and  couunand  all  our  coinpanye  (excepts 
one  boye)  to  come  to  their  forte  where  they  staide  about  twoe  houres,  and  the 
governor  comnuiiide  his  gunner  to  make  ready  three  pceces  of  ordnance,  and 
shott  tlicni  oil'  for  tlio  Prince  of  Orange  and  sprede  the  Prince's  coloures,  where- 
upon Jaeol)  Eelokius  tlie  merchant's  factor  of  tlio  shippe  the  William  commande 
William  ti'ordo  of  Lymohouse  (the  gunner)  to  gop  abord  the  shijjpe  and  sj)rede 
her  colourt',s  and  .slioote  otl'  theire  peeces  of  ordnance  for  the  king  ef  Kii,L;land."^ 

Van  Twnller  regarded  the  audacious  movement  with  incredulous  won- 
der. Then  he  ordered  a  barrel  of  wine  to  be  brought  and  opened,  and, 
after  drinking,  waved  liis  hat  and  shouted,  "All  those  who  love  the 
Prince  of  Orange  and  me,  emulate  me  in  this,  and  assist  me  in  repelling 
the  violence  of  that  Englishman  ! " 

1  X.  Y.  Coll.  MSS.,  Vol.  I.  74. 


70  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

But  the  Englishman  was  already  out  of  harm's  -way,  sailing  up  the 
river,  and  the  crowd  only  laughed  and  filled  their  glasses,  saying,  they 
"  guessed  they  would  not  trouble  the  English  who  were  their  friends.  As 
for  the  wine,  they  knew  how  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  a  barrel ;  if  there 
were  six  they  could  master  them." 

Captain  De  Vries  walked  up  and  down  in  silent  indignation  while  this 
was  going  on.  But  at  the  governor's  dinner-table,  later  in  the  day,  he 
expressed  his  opinion  of  the  wliole  transaction  in  terms  more  earnest 
than  polite.  He  told  Van  Twiller  that  he  had  acted  very  indiscreetly ; 
that  the  Englishman  had  no  commission,  only  a  custom-house  clear- 
ance to  sail  to  New  England,  not  to  New  Netherland ;  that  if  it  had 
been  his  case  he  should  have  helped  him  to  some  eight-pounders  from 
the  fort,  and  put  a  stop  to  his  going  up  the  river  at  all.  As  it  was,  he 
advised,  most  energetically,  that  the  ship  Zouthcrg  be  sent  to  force  him 
out  of  the  river,  and  teach  Mm  better  manners. 

The  governor  was  convinced  of  the  wisdom  of  the  counsel, 
and,  after  mature  deliberation,  made  a  move  in  the  proper  di- 
rection by  sending  an  armed  force  to  Fort  Orange,  where  Eelkins  had 
pitched  a  tent  and  commenced  a  brisk  trade  with  the  Indians.  The  tent 
was  speedily  folded,  and  the  intruder  conducted  to  his  vessel  and  to 
Manhattan.  The  Enghsh  said  :  "  The  Dutch  came  along  with  us  in  their 
shallope,  and  they  sticked  greene  bowes  all  about  her  and  drank  strong 
waters,  and  sounded  their  trumpet  in  a  triumphing  manner  over  us." 

Eelkins  was  obliged  to  disgorge  his  peltries  and  leave  the  harbor,  with 
a  friendly  warning  in  his  ears  never  more  to  attempt  any  interference 
with  Dutch  trade.  Van  Twiller  then  issued  an  order  to  the  effect  that  no 
one  should  sign  any  paper  in  reference  to  the  treatment  which  Eelkins 
had  received. 

Very  soon  afterward  the  governor,  who  was  sure  to  act  promptly 

May  20.  "^  o  '  i.  i.     j 

on  inopportune  occasions,  attempted  to  vindicate  his  statesman- 
ship at  the  expense  of  De  Vries.  The  latter  had  two  vessels,  one  of 
which  was  a  small  yacht ;  and  before  returning  to  Europe  he  wished  to 
send  it  toward  the  north  on  a  trading  cruise  along  the  coast.  The 
governor  forbade  his  doing  so,  and,  seeing  De  Vries  making  preparations 
in  defiance  of  his  authority,  valiantly  ordered  the  guns  of  the  fort  turned 
upon  him.     De  Vries,  who  tells  the  story,  says  :  — 

"  I  ran  to  the  point  of  land  where  Van  Twiller  stood  witli  the  secretary  and 
one  or  two  of  the  council,  and  told  them  it  seemed  to  me  the  country  was  full 
of  fools  !  If  they  must  fire  at  sometliing,  they  ouglit  to  have  fired  at  the  English- 
man who  violated  the  rights  of  their  river  against  their  will.  This  caused  th(>m  to 
desist  from  troubling  me  further." 


77//;  rii:sT  (•/./■:/>•(;)■.]/ a. v.  71 

Tlie  yacht  Hiiil(>d,  aiitl  wius  soon  witulin;^'  lu!r  way  Llirou},'h  tlic.  cliaiiiid 
of  Holkij^aL  (or  Hi'll-CJate,  aa  it  is  still  failed),  which  in  certain  times  of 
the  tide  indulj,a'(l  in  all  sorts  of  wild  paroxysms.  Some  j,'o  so  fur  as  to 
say  that  the  pntch  named  it  out  of  sheer  spleen,  because  it  hectored  their 
tub-lmilt  barks  until  the  sailors  were  so  ^nddy  that  they  solciiiiily  ,^'ave 
the  yawning  gulf  over  to  the  Devil. 

In  the  same  vessel  which  brought  Wouter  Van  Twiller  to  Maidiattan, 
Dominie  Bogardus,  the  first  clergyman  of  New  Netherland,  wius  a  jnvssen- 
ger.  He  was  a  man  of  a  certain  order  of  talent  in  large  meiusure,  and  wa.s 
honored  for  his  piety.  He  was  large,  graceful,  sinewy,  stnnig,  with  a  tine, 
broad,  open,  frank  face,  high  cheek-bones,  a  dark  piercing  eye,  and  mouth 
expressive  of  the  very  electricity  of  good-humor,  which  was  partly 
hidden,  however,  by  a  beard  cut  in  the  peculiar  fashion  prescribed  for 
ecclesiastics  during  the  reign  of  Henry  IV.  of  France.  He  was  not  with- 
out prominent  faults.  He  had  a  hot  and  hasty  temper,  was  bru.sque  in 
his  manner,  and  addicted  to  high  living ;  but  he  was  greatly  sujjerior  in 
both  mind  ami  character  to  Van  Twiller,  and  his  sterling  (qualities  stood 
forth  in  such  Itold  relief,  that  now,  at  the  very  mention  of  his  name, 
a  figure  seems  to  leap  forth  from  the  mist  of  centuries,  instinct  with 
hearty,  vigorous  life.  Fearless  in  the  performance  of  his  o\vn  duties,  he 
never  allowed  any  failure  on  the  part  of  others  to  pass  by  unreproved. 
In  several  instances  the  governors  in  authority  were  severely  castigated 
from  the  sacred  desk. 

He  desired  a  more  convenient  place  for  pubhc  worship  than  the  loft  in 
the  horse-mill ;  and  the  West  India  Company  displayed  their  zeal  for  the 
preservation  of  the  blessings  of  education  and  religion  to  their  infant 
colony  by  building  him  a  church.  It  was  a  plain  wooden  edifice,  of 
a  pattern  similar  to  the  New  England  barn  of  the  present  day,  and  was 
located  on  a  high  point  of  land  fronting  the  East  River,  near  what  is  now 
Pearl  Street,  between  "Wliitehall  and  Broad.  It  was  a  conspicuous  object 
to  vessels  coming  up  through  the  bay ;  and  English  travelers,  who  were 
accustomed  to  a  different  style  of  architecture,  criticised  it  in  anything 
but  flattering  terms.  But  it  was  satisfactory  to  the  conscientious  and 
devout  worshipers  -who  assembled  there  every  week,  and  thought  only  of 
the  eloquent  words  of  their  beloved  dominie ;  and  it  is  to  be  respected  as 
the  first  church  edifice  on  Manhattan  Island. 

Near  it,  and  a  little  to  the  right,  they  built  a  parsonage.  It  was  a  small 
Dutch  cottage,  with  the  gable-end  turned  towards  the  street.  The  front 
door  was  ornamented  with  an  elegant  brass  knocker  brought  from  Hol- 
land. Dominie  Bogardus  had  been  accustomed  not  only  to  the  comforts, 
but  also  to  the  luxuries  of  life,  and  knew  how  to  surround  liimself  with 


72  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

much  that  was  pleasing  to  the  eye  and  gi-atifying  to  the  taste,  even  in 
the  new,  wild  country.  With  his  own  hands  he  laid  out  and  planted 
a  garden.  And  in  the  fresh  summer  days  pinks  and  tulips  winked  and 
blinked  across  the  graveled  pathways,  coquetting  with  young  vegetables. 
Pretty  vines  clambered  to  the  very  house-top,  and  lilacs  and  roses, 
jessamines  and  syringas,  vied  with  each  other  in  gorgeous  display,  and 
helped  to  render  the  place  for  many  years  the  pride  of  Manhattan,  and 
one  of  the  chief  objects  of  attraction  for  strangers. 

Another  noted  but  far  less  worthy  personage  came  over  in  the 
Zouibcrg,  and  enjoyed  for  several  ypars  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 
and  only  schoolmaster  in  New  Netherland.  His  name  was  Adam 
lioelandsen.  From  some  cause,  perhaps  because  "  people  did  not  speak 
well  of  him,"  he  could  not  make  a  Hving  at  his  vocation,  and  so  took  in 
washing.  There  is  a  curious  lawsuit  recorded  in  the  old  Dutch  manu- 
scripts, which  shows  that  on  the  20th  of  September,  1638,  Adam  Eoe- 
landsen  demanded  payment  of  one  Gillis  l)e  Voocht  for  washing  his 
linen.  Tlie  defendant  made  no  objection  to  the  price  charged,  but  refused 
to  pay  until  the  end  of  the  year.  The  court  decided  tliat  Roelandsen 
shoiild  wash  for  De  Voocht  during  the  time  agreed  upon,  and  then  coUect 
his  money.  He  lived  at  first  quite  out  of  town ;  but  tliere  is  on  record 
an  agreement  for  building  a  house  on  Stone  Street,  near  the  brewery 
of  Oloff  S.  Van  Cortlandt,  which  was  to  be  thirty  feet  long,  eighteen 
feet  wide,  and  eight  feet  high,  to  be  tight-clapboarded,  and  roofed  with 
reeden  thatch,  have  an  entry  three  feet  wide,  two  doors,  a  pantry,  a  bed- 
stead, a  staircase,  and  a  mantel-piece,  to  be  ready  on  the  1st  of  May, 
1642,  for  which  $140  was  to  be  paid  by  Adam  Roelandsen,  one  lialf 
when  the  timber  was  on  the  ground,  and  the  other  lialf  when  the  build- 
ing was  finished. 

That  the  bedstead  should  be  named  in  the  contract  for  Iniilding  a  house 
requires  some  explanation.  It  was  called  "  slaap-banck,"  and  was  a 
sleeping-bench,  constructed  like  a  cupboard  in  a  partition,  with  doors 
closing  upon  it  when  unoccupied.  Two  ample  feather-beds  upon  it,  one 
to  sleep  on  and  the  other  for  a  covering,  made  up  in  comfort  what  it 
lacked  in  display,  and  the  whole  arrangement  was  a  great  economy  in 
the  matter  of  room.  A  sleeping-apartment  in  the  small  Dutch  tavern 
of  early  New  Netherland  often  accommodated  several  travelers  at  night, 
while  during  the  day  it  was  only  a  public  room,  quite  unencumbered  in 
appearance.  Schoolmaster  Roelandsen  could  not  have  enjoyed  his  house 
for  a  very  long  period;  for  on  the  17th  of  December,  1646,  he  was  tried 
for  a  very  grave  offence,  found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  be  "  publicly 
flogged,  and  banished  from  the  country." 


Till-:  FinsT  wi.xh-Mii.LS.  73 

Van  Twillcr  was  nol  slow  to  cairy  out  the  ideas  of  his  ('lujjhiycis  in 
tlio  matter  of  ])ul)lie  ini]ii(iv(!nients.  The  fort  was  scarcely  anythin;^  more, 
than  banks  ol'  earth,  liL^lit  or  Itii  Icit  hi.^h,  with  decayed  palisades,  and 
witlumt  ditciies.  '{'he  |)iil.h,;is  \\c  Iiii\r  seen,  liail  already  introduced  ne- 
gro slavery  into  tlieir  colony;  and  a  iiiiihIm'i- of  rtu-eiilly  imported  Africans 
were  employi'd,  inidfr  ilic  superiiiiciidciice  of  .lacoh  Siollelsen,  to  re[)uir 
this  dila])idated  and  nt\ci-  particularly  sliouj,' structure.  A  ^niard-house 
and  barracks  wert'  also  liuilt  within  the  fort  for  the  n(!wly  arrived  sol- 
diers ;  and  three  expensive  wind-mills  were  erected,  Vmt  injudiciously 
located  so  near  the  other  buildings  that  the  south-wind  was  fre([uently 
intercepted.  However,  they  gave  the  little  community  something  more 
homelike  to  look  at,  and  were  particularly  acceptable. 

For  himself.  Van  Twiller  built  a  very  substantial  brick  house  within 
the  fort,  by  far  the  most  elaborate  private  dwelling  which  had  as  yet 
been  attempted  in  this  country ;  and  it  served  for  the  residence  of  succes- 
sive chiefs  of  the  colony  during  the  remainder  of  the  Dutch  dynasty. 
Several  smaller  brick  and  frame  dwellings  were  erected  for  the  officers, 
all  being  done  at  the  expense  of  the  company.  A  farm  had  been  laid 
out  some  time  prior  to  this  date,  called  the  Company's  Farm.  It  ex- 
tended north  from  Wall  to  Hudson  Street  (we  can  designate  localities 
only  by  thus  using  the  present  names),  and  upon  this  property  Van 
Twiller  built  a  house,  barn,  brewery,  boat-house,  etc.,  for  his  own  private 
accommodation.  Another  farm  belonging  to  the  company  he  set  apart  as 
a  tobacco  plantation.  He  built  several  small  buildings  for  the  trades- 
people, and  laid  out  a  graveyard  on  the  west  of  Broadway,  above  Moiris 
Street.  He  also  built  two  houses  at  Pavonia,  another  at  Fort  Nassaii  on 
the  Delaware  River,  and  at  Fort  Orange  one  "  elegant  large  house  with 
balustrades,  and  eight  small  ho\ises."  He  did  not  seem  to  know  where  to 
stop,  having  once  commenced  the  work  of  spending  his  employers'  money. 

But  during  all  this  time  no  independent  farmers  attempted  the  culti- 
vation of  the  soil.  The  agricultural  improvements  lay  entirely  in  the 
hands  of  the  patroons,  and  the  sound  of  the  hammer  was  heard  only 
where  it  was  likely  to  be  advantageous  to  the  special  business  of  the 
West  India  Company.  The  little  town  on  Manhattan  Island  received 
the  name  of  New  Amsterdam,  as  the  governor's  new  broom  swept  over 
it,  and  was  invested  with  the  prerogative  of  "  staple  right,"  by  virtue  of 
which  all  the  merchandise  passing  up  and  down  the  river  was  subject  to 
certain  duties.  This  right  gave  the  post  the  commercial  monopoly  of  the 
whole  province. 

Van  Twiller  displayed  less  and  less  adaptation  to  his  field  of  labor  as 
the  months  wore  on,  and  his  mismanagement  was  the  topic  of  conversa- 


74  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

tion  among  the  intelligent  men  of  the  colony.  Dominie  Bogardus  wrote 
him  several  letters  on  the  subject,  and  is  said  to  have  once 
called  him  a  "  child  of  the  Devil,"  and  threatened  him  with  "  a 
shake  from  the  pulpit."  The  attention  of  the  States-General  was  again 
attracted  to  the  afiaii's  of  New  Netherland  through  the  complaints  that 
were  entered  by  the  owners  of  the  ship  William,  who  estimated  the 
damages  they  had  sustained  by  reason  of  the  Dutch  on  the  North  River 
at  £  4,000,  and  demanded  payment.  There  was  a  tedious  litigation,  but 
it  never  came  to  a  definite  settlement. 

One  of  the  most  onerous  duties  imposed  upon  the  unlucky  governor  by 
the  West  India  Company  was  to  obtain  a  title  to  the  lands  on  the  banks 
of  the  Fresh  or  Connecticut  Eiver,  which  had  occasionally  been  visited 
by  the  Dutch  for  trading  purposes  ever  since  its  original  discovery  by 
Adriaen  Block,  in  1614  They  had  recently  learned  that  it  had 
been  included  in  a  grant  to  the  Earl  of  Warwick  by  the  king  of 
England,  and  deemed  it  politic  to  get  a  formal  Indian  deed  before  War- 
wick's grantees  should  take  any  steps  towards  its  occupation.  Accord- 
ingly, Jacob  Van  Curler  and  six  other  agents  were  sent  to  accomplish  tlie 
feat,  as  also  to  finish  the  trading-house,  or  redoubt,  which  had  been  pro- 
jected in  1623,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  on  the  site  of  the  present 
city  of  Hartford.  They  had  no  difficulty  in  treating  with  the  Pequods, 
who  had  just  conquered  the  Sequeens,  and  who  stipulated  only  that  the 
ceded  territory  should  always  be  neutral  ground,  where  all  the  tribes 
might  come  to  trade,  and  no  wars  ever  be  waged ;  and  then  the  little 
post  was  completed  and  fortified  with  two  cannons,  and  named  Good 
Hope.^ 

Governor  Winthrop  thought  it  well  to  assert  promptly  the  superior 
title  of  the  English  to  the  whole  of  the  Connecticut  valley,  in  a  letter  to 
the  Dutch  authorities,  and  received  in  reply  a  very  courteous  and  respect- 
ful document  from  Governor  Van  TwiUer,  asking  the  governor  of  Plym- 
outh to  defer  aU  his  claims  until  their  respective  governments  should 
agree  about  the  limits  of  their  territories,  not  presuming  "  two  great 
powers  would  fall  into  contention  about  a  little  portion  of  such  heathen- 
ish countries." 

But  althcnxgh  the  Massachusetts  authorities  were  not  disposed  to  inter- 
fere, the  Plymouth  people  were  determined  to  establish  a  counter-claim 
to  the  land  where  the  Hollanders  were  now  in  quiet  possession,  under  their 

1  The  ruins  of  the  old  fort  have  been  traced,  by  persons  now  living,  on  the  bank  of  the 
Connecticut  near  the  seat  of  the  Wylls  family.  Several  yellow  Dutch  bricks  used  in  its  con- 
struction are  preserved  by  residents  of  Hartford.  Public  Records  of  Connecticut,  by  J.  H. 
Trumbull.     Holmes,  Am.  Ann.,  I.  219,  note. 


DIFFIcri/riKS    WITH    THE    ESCIJSII  75 

threefold  supposed  i'ij,'lit,  by  orif^'iiml  discovery,  coiisUmL  visitation,  and 
le>;al  pureliase.  So  they  iimnaf^'ed  to  Imy  a  tract  of  hind,  just  north  of 
Fort  Good  Hope,  of  a  party  of  Indians  \vh<»  liad  lu-en  driven  out  of 
that  country  by  the  Pequods ;  and  Lieutenant  William  Holmes,  a  land 
surveyor,  with  a  company  of  Kn<,dish  fanners,  accomi)anied  by  the  ban- 
ished Indians,  proceeded  there  as  rapidly  as  they  could  make  their  way 
throuj;h  the  forests.  While  passing'  the  Dutch  post  they  were  hailed  by 
Van  Corlear,  who  threatened  to  shoot  them  if  they  did  not  stop  instantly. 
Their  reply  was,  "Fire!  we  shall  go  ou  if  we  die";  and  they  went  on, 
and  the  Dutch  did  not  fire.  An-iving  at  the  point  where  Windsor  now 
stands,  they  clapped  up  the  frame  of  a  house  which  they  had  brought 
with  them,  and  laniled  their  provisions.  Afterwards  they  "  palisadoed  " 
their  house  about,  and  fortified  themselves  better,  for  they  were  afraid  of 
the  Pecpiods,  who  were  much  offended  that  they  should  bring  home  and 
restore  the  Sachem  Natuwannute  to  his  rights. 

When  the  news  of  these  proceedings  reached  Van  Twiller,  he  sent  a 
formal  order  to  Holmes  to  depart  forthwith  from  the  lands  on  the  Fresh 
River ;  but  Holmes,  who  had  already  defied  the  guns  of  Fort  Good 
Hope,  was  not  to  be  moA'ed  by  the  power  of  speech.  He  replied  that  he 
was  there  in  the  name  of  the  king  of  England,  anil  there  he  should  stay.^ 
\'A\\  Twiller  submitted  his  perplexities  to  the  Amsterdam  Chamber,  but, 
before  any  reply  could  reach  him,  serious  difficulties  occurred  between  the 
Connecticut  River  Dutch  colonists  and  the  Pequods,  and  the  latter 
entered  into  an  alliance  with  the  English.  When  the  order  came  from 
Holland  to  send  an  armed  force  to  dislodge  the  intruders.  Van  Twiller 
dispatched  seventy  men  for  the  purpose ;  but  the  Windsor  colony  put 
themselves  on  the  defensive,  and,  fearful  of  Indian  hostilities,  the  Dutch 
thought  it  wise  to  withdraw. 

The  most  important  event  of  the  year  1634  was  an  advantageous 
treaty  of  peace  concluded  with  the  Raritan  Indians,  which,  considering 
the  weak  state  of  the  colony,  was  a  master  stroke  of  policy. 

Meanwhile,  Captain  De  Vries,  upon  liis  return  to  Holland,  had  found 
the  directors  of  the  company  still  at  variance  in  regard  to  the  meddling 
with  the  fur-trade  by  the  patroons.  Even  the  few  beaver-skins  which  he 
had  brought  over  in  his  vessel  provoked  high  words,  and,  seeing  the  turn 
events  were  taking,  he  retired  from  his  partnership  on  the  Delaware,  and 
entered  into  a  speculation  with  some  merchants  who  were  trading  on 
the  coast  of  Guiana.  But  he  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  his  mind  freely 
concerning  the  incapacity  of  the  New  Netherland  officials,  and  through 

1  Wiuthrop  ;  Bradford,  in  Hutch.  Mass.  ;  Prince  ;  Trumbull ;  Broadhead  ;  O'Calla- 
gliau. 


76  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

his  efforts  and  influence  the  drunken  and  dishonest  sheriff  Notelinan  was 
superseded  by  Lxibbertus  Van  Dincklagen,  an  educated  lawyer,  and  a  man 
of  great  excellence  of  character. 

Both  the  directors  of  the  company  and  the  patroons  appealed 

to  the  States-General  for  redress  of  grievances ;   but  the  latter, 

finding  the  question  very  knotty,  prudently  postponed  a  decision.     In 

the  mean  time,  Godyn  had  died,  and  the  remaining  patroons  of  Swaanen- 

dael   commenced  legal  proceedings  against   the  company  for  damages, 

which  they  had  sustained  through  neglect  of  the  company  to  defend  them 

from  inland  and  foreign  wars,  as  was  promised  in  their  charter.      The 

Assembly  of  the   XIX.,  tiring  of  these  continual  discords,  determined 

to  purchase  the  rights  and  property  of  the  South  River  patroons ; 

which  they  accordingly  did,  for  the  sum  of  fifteen  thousand  six 

hundred  guilders. 

Early  in  the  following  summer  the  vacant  Fort  Nassau  was  seized  by 
some  Englishmen  from  Point  Comfort,  ufider  command  of  George  Holmes. 
Thomas  Hall,  one  of  Holmes's  men,  deserted,  and  brought  prompt  intelli- 
gence to  Van  Twiller,  who  sent  an  armed  force,  dislodged  the 
party,  and  brought  aU  captives  to  New  Amsterdam.     But  he  ilid 
not  know  what  to  do  with  them,  and  took  counsel  of  De  Vries,  who  was 
again  Avith  his  vessel   in   New  York    Bay,  and   about   to   sail   for  the 
Chesapeake.     The  resiJt  was  that  they  were  reshipped  "  pack  and 
^^ '    '  sack "  for  Point  Comfort,  and  thus  ended  the  first  English  ag- 
gression on  the  South  Eiver. 

Success  was  awaiting   the  English   in   the   Connecticut  Valley,  not- 
withstanding the  Dutch  fort  at  Hartford.     In  the  autumn,  the  Peqiiods 
visited   Boston  and  sold   all  their   right  and  title  to  Governor 

Nov.  24.  " 

Winthrop.  To  whom  then  did  it  belong  ?  Soon  afterward,  John 
Winthrop,  the  younger,  arrived  from  England,  connnissioned  by  Lord 
Warwick's  grantees  as  "  agent  for  the  River  of  the  Connecticut  with  the 
places  adjoining  thereto,"  and  brouglit  with  him  men  and  ammunition 
and  two  thousand  pounds  in  money  to  begin  a  fortification  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  A  few  weeks  later  he  proceeded  to  take  possession  and 
erect  some  liuildings  upon  the  very  land  which  the  Dutch  had  jnirchased 
of  the  Indians  three  years  before,  and  contemptuously  tore  down  the 
arms  of  the  States-General  which  Avas  affixed  to  a  tree,  painting  a  ridicu- 
lous face  in  its  j)lace.  Van  TwiUer,  Avho  had  lost  all  faith  in  wordy 
protests,  sent  a  sloop  to  dislodge  them ;  but  Winthrop  had  two  pieces  on 
shore,  and  woidd  not  sufler  the  Dutch  to  land.  The  English  named  the 
point  Saybrook,  in  compliment  to  Lord  Say  and  Lord  Brook. 

Fort  Amsterdam  was  completed  this  sunnner ;  l)ut  although  consider- 


Fiiirr  .\MsTi:i!i>AM. 


11 


iihk'  fxin'iisc  liad  liccii  liivislicd  u|it>n  llic  rciuiirs,  it  lUvvv.  Ii.hI  Imm-ii  ii 
luistili!  iilLiick  IVoni  any  houhi'  w  Inilivt  r,  the  t|m;.sti(in  of  linldiii;^;  il  would 
have  been  decidiul  vmy  hritlly.  Tlic  ncniliwcst  liastion  only  wan  laced 
with  stone,  and  not  a  Icncf  suiiomidcd  it  in  kcc])  nil'  the  ;,'oats  and  other 
animals  which  run  at  lar.nv  thrmi^h  tiic  lown.  lis  only  redeeming  tea- 
turc  was  its  elegant  regularity. 

'Pile  liouses  wen^  small  and  simiiir  in  their  cnnstrucLinn,  and  ni'arly 
all  ^^^  tlicni  wiTc  incatcd  within  a  few  yaids  n|'  the  «|Uaiiit  iitllc  ritadel. 
Sniiic  were  luiill  nl'  rniit;ii  stnue. 


The  above  sketch  of  the  fort  and  the  buildings  around  it  was  originally 
made  by  a  Dutcli  officer  in  1635,  and  the  picture  was  engraved  in  Hol- 
land. As  a  work  of  art  it  is  certainly  curious.  It  was  undoubtedly  the 
prodiiction  of  a  strong  memory,  and,  even  allowing  for  the  omission  of 
Governor's  Island,  which  is  ingrafted  upon  Long  Island,  and  the  distance 
of  Paulus  Hook,  which  appears  not  more  than  the  length  of  three  of  the 
canoes,  there  is  no  view  extant  which  can  give  us  a  better  idea  of  the 
tender  infancy  of  our  proud  city. 

The  wind-mill  was  near  a  creek  which  is  now  Broad  Street.  The  gib- 
bet, or  whipping-post,  was  close  by  the  water's  edge.  Upon  this  trans- 
gTessors  were  hoisted  by  the  waist,  and  suspended  such  length  of  time  as 
their  offense  warranted. 

And  yet,  such  was  the  peaceful  disposition  of  the   inhabitants,  that 


78  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

police  regulations  were  almost  entirely  unknown.  Not  even  a  sentinel 
1636.  ^'^^  kept  on  duty  at  night.  A  very  ludicrous  incident  occurred 
Mays,  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  May,  1636.  It  was  just  at  day- 
break that  the  boom  of  a  strange  gun  shook  the  island  from  center  to 
circumference.  The  people  were  alarmed,  the  soldiers  in  the  fort  rushed 
to  their  posts,  and  the  corpulent  Van  Twiller,  in  a  state  of  mind  not  to 
be  envied,  ran,  holding  a  pistol  in  one  hand  while  he  tried  to  dress  him- 
self with  the  other,  towards  the  shore.  It  was  all  explained  presently. 
Captain  De  Vries  had  returned,  and  after  having  piloted  his  vessel 
through  the  Narrows  in  the  dead  of  night,  humorously  determined  to 
speak  in  his  own  behaK  and  watch  the  result.  He  was  heartily  wel- 
comed and  invited  home  with  the  governor  to  breakfast. 

It  is  through  the  writings  of  this  celebrated  sea-captain  that 

June  25.  "  ^  '■ 

we  learn  of  much  of  the  irregularity  existing  at  that  time  in  New 
Netherland.  Nearly  every  one  drank  wine  and  stronger  liquors  to  excess 
when  they  could  be  obtained.  For  instance,  a  new  agent  arrived  for 
Pauw's  colony  at  Pavonia,  one  Cornelis  Van  Vorst,  and  brought  with 
him  some  good  claret.  De  Vries  called  there  one  day,  and  found  the  gov- 
ernor and  the  minister  making  merry ;  and  finally  they  quarreled  with 
Van  Vorst  about  a  manslaughter  which  had  been  committed  in  his 
colony  a  few  days  before,  but  made  it  up  in  the  end,  and  started  for  home. 
Van  Vorst  ran  to  give  a  salute  to  the  governor  from  a  stone  gun  which 
stood  on  a  pillar  near  his  house,  and  a  spark  fell  upon  the  thatched  roof, 
setting  it  on  fire.  There  being  no  means  of  putting  it  out,  in  less  than 
half  an  hour  the  whole  building  was  consumed. 

On  another  occasion  the  gunner  gave  a  frolic,  and  all  the  digni- 
'  taries  were  present.  The  tent  was  erected  in  one  of  the  angles  of  the 
fort,  and  tables  and  benches  were  placed  for  the  guests.  When  the  glee  was 
at  its  height,  the  trumpet  began  to  blow,  which  occasioned  a  quarrel,  and 
the  koopman  of  the  stores  and  the  koopman  of  the  cargasoons  found  fault 
and  called  the  trumpeter  hard  names.  He  turned  round  and  gave  them 
each  a  thrashing,  and  they  ran  for  their  swords,  uttering  terrible  threats. 
The  trumpeter  hid  from  them  that  night,  but  the  next  morning,  when  the 
wine  had  evaporated,  "  they  feared  him  more  than  they  sought  him." 
Aug.  13.  The  natural  beauties  of  Staten  Island  attracted  the  attention 
Aug.  15.  of  De  Vries,  and  before  he  left  for  Holland,  on  the  15th  of  August, 
he  arranged  with  Van  Twiller  to  enter  it  for  him  on  the  records  of  the 
company,  as  he  wished  to  found  a  colony  there. 

On  the  16th  of  June,  prior  to  this  date,  Jacob  Van  Corlear  had  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land  from  the  Indians  on  Long  Island,  and  employed 
Thomas  HaU,  the  English  deserter,  to  superintend  the  plantation.    About 


rCliCHASK   OF   LAMJS. 


1\) 


,;-^- 


till'  siiiiu'  time  Aiiiliics  Hiulilc,  one  dl'  tlio  «,'()V('ni(ir's  cnuiicil,  in  ].;irtin'iHlii|) 
witli  Woliort  (riUTitsi'ii,  imnlia.sed  the-  Hats  iii'xt  (JdiU'iii'h  inojH'itv.  On 
tlu!  Kith  oi"  July,  Van  Twillcr  hiniscH'  sci-uivd  tliu  k'niptin;;  lands  lartluu' 
to  the  east.  These  i)urchases,  includinj,'  nearly  Ifi.OOO  acres,  seem  to  hav<^ 
been  nmdo  without  the  knowled^'e  or  a])i)roliation  of  the  Amsterdam 
Chaiiiber.  Upon  them  was  loundrd  the  town  of  Xcw  Amersloordt,  now 
Flatlands. 
There  was  anotlier  •^rant  of  whirli  it  is  interesting  to  t<'ike  notice,  and 

which  occurred  not  far  from  the 
same  date,  —  sixty  -  two  acres  to 
lioeh)f  Jans,  beginning  south  of 
Warren  Street,  and  extending  along 
Ihoadway  as  far  as  Duane  Street, 
thence  northwesterly  a  mile  and  a 
half  to  Christopher  Street,  thus 
forming  a  sort  of  uneij^ual  tri- 
angle with  its  base  upon  the  North 
Eiver.  This  was  the  original  con- 
veyance of  the  very  valuable  estate 
since  known  as  the  Trinity  Church 
property.^ 
Rensselaerswick   was    at 

,,  •       ,.  1637. 

this  time  improving  more 
rapidly  than  any  other  part  of  the 
province.  The  farmers  wrote  home 
gloM-ing  descriptions  of  the  soil  and 
productions,  which,  published  in 
Holland,  brought  out  colonists  in 

Map  of  what  was  Anetje  Jans's  Farm.  J.^j.^.^,    numbei'S,   aud    SOIUC    of   them 

were  men  of  substantial  means.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1637  Van  Rens- 
selaer purchased  of  the  Indians  a  large  addition  to  his  already  exten- 
sive property,  and  tradition  says  that  he  paid  a  brief  visit  to  his  manor 
about  that  time. 

Van  Twiller  also    inspected  aud  l)ought  for   himself   Xutten  Island, 


P 


'  Roelof  Jiins  died  soon  after  the  grant,  leaving  a  wife  and  four  cliildren.  His  widow 
j\jietje  married  Dominie  Hogardus  in  the  yejir  1638,  and  her  farm  was  known  as  the  "  Dom- 
inie's bonwery."  After  Bogardus's  death  in  1647,  this  grant  was  eonfii-med  by  the  English 
government  to  the  heirs,  who  sold  it  in  1671  to  Colonel  Lovelace,  at  which  sale  one  of  the  heirs 
failed  to  be  present.  It  was  afterward  incorporated  into  the  king's  farm,  and  in  1703  was 
presented  by  Queen  Anne  to  Trinity  t'hurch.  Anetje  Bogardus  died  in  1668  in  Beverwyck. 
Benson's  Memoir,  119.     Rcnsselaersicick  MSS.     Paige's  Chancery  Reports. 


80  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

since  which  it  has  been  called  Governor's  Island.^  The  water  was  so 
shallow  between  it  and  Long  Island  at  that  time  as  to  be  easily 
■  forded  at  low  tide.  The  next  month  he  bought  Great  Barn  and 
Blackwell's  Island.  By  these  acquisitions  he  became  one  of 
"  the  richest  land-owners  in  the  province.  He  stocked  his  nice 
farms  with  valuable  cattle,  and  the  colonists  wondered  how  it  all  came 
about !  The  high-toned  officer  Van  Dincklagen  could  not  rest  in  silence, 
and  remonstrated  with  the  governor  in  the  plainest  manner,  finally 
threatening  to  expose  him  if  he  did  not  desist  from  his  dishonorable  pro- 
ceedings. All  the  fierce  obstinacy  of  Van  Twiller's  nature  was  thus 
aroused,  and  in  a  fit  of  rage  he  caused  the  bold  sheriff  to  be  arrested  on  a 
charge  of  contimiacy,  and  sent  him  as  a  prisoner  to  Holland,  retaining  liis 
salary,  which  was  three  years  in  arrears. 

Van  Dincklagen  had  no  sooner  arrived  there  than  with  his  facile  pen  he 
reviewed  Van  Twiller's  government  in  a  memorial  to  the  States-General, 
which  was  immediately  sent  to  the  Amsterdam  Chamber  with  the  sugges- 
tion that  they  had  better  make  prompt  reparation  to  their  injured  officer. 
They  at  first  refused,  but  the  resolute  Van  Dincklagen  was  well  known 
and  respected,  and  his  second  memorial  was  supported  by  some  very 
stinging  remarks  from  Captain  De  Vries,  about  "  promoting  a  fool  from 
a  clerkship  to  a  governorship  simply  to  act  farces,"  so  that  finally  it 
was  decided  to  recall  Van  TwiUer,  and  appoint  Wilhehn  Kieft  in  his 
place.     The  new  governor,  in  presence  of  the  States-General,  took 

^^  '  '  his  oath  of  office  on  September  2,  1637. 

Van  Dincklagen's  complaints  were  not  confined  to  the  civil  authorities 
of  New  Netherland.  Dominie  Bogardus  was  censured,  and  to  such  an 
extent  that  when  the  news  reached  his  church  in  New  Amsterdam  the 
consistory  felt  it  their  duty  to  take  ecclesiastical  proceedings  against  the 
complainant,  which  a  long  time  after  they  were  obliged  to  defend  before 
the  Classis  of  Amsterdam. 

It  was  years  before  Van  Dincklagen  collected  his  salary,  although  the 
States-General  signified  it  as  their  pleasure  that  he  sliould  at  once  l)e 

^  Coincident  with  the  governor's  purchase,  .lolm  (Oeorgc)  Jaiiscn  l)e  Ka])aelje  bought  of  the 
Indians  335  acres  on  Long  Island  near  Waal-Bogt,  or  the  Bay  of  tlie  Foreigners.  Prior  to 
this  William  Adriaense  Bennet  and  Jacques  Bentyii  had  bought  930  acres  at  Oowanus,  and 
at  these  two  isolated  points  were  foi-med  the  nuclei  of  the  present  city  of  Brooklyn.  ( )nc 
Jonas  Bronck  also  bought  a  valuable  tract  in  West  Chester  "over  against  Haarlem,"  and 
from  him  the  Bronx  Biver  derived  its  name.  The  West  India  Company  bouglit  the  island  of 
Quotenius  in  Narragansett  Bay,  also  an  island  near  the  Thames  River,  which  was  for  many 
years  known  as  Dutchman's  Island.  And  not  far  from  the  same  time  they  purchased  from 
Michael  Pauw,  Pavonia  and  his  other  lands,  which  abated  a  great  nuisance  in  the  s\\-d]w  of 
an  independent  colony  on  those  shores. 


y///;  /'•//.•  TRAhK. 


81 


paid.      He  atlcrwanls  ivUiriird  |(.  Nrw  Atiislcnlaiii,  ami  tillid  with  li.)ii..r 
ouc  of  till'  liiosL  iiiipiiitaiil  nlliccs  uiidrr  tlir  Lj'ivcrmiiriil 

Notwillistaiuliii'^  llir  luss  uf  Imsiiifss  ini  the  Coiiiiccticiit,  llir  liir-liadi! 
duriii<f  Lilt!  last  your  ol'  Van  Twillcr's  adjiiiiiistration  had  iiK  rt'asfd.  Tlu; 
Dutch  had  oikmumI  a  piolitalilc  cniiiiiK'no  with  Nirw  Kii^daiitl  ;  and  the 
scarcity  of  coiiinioditi(!s  tlicrr,  owiiii;  I"  llir  Moody  war  which  was  raj^ing 
with  the  lV(iuods,  allcctcd  prices  to  a  coiisidcrahlc  degree  in  New  Nether- 
land.  A  schepel  —  three  pecks  —  of  rye  sold  readily  for  eighty  cents. 
A  lal)oring  man  coinniaiided  eighty  cents  per  day  during  harvest.  C'oru 
i-ose  to  the  extraordinarily  high  price  of  twelve  shillings  a  l)usli(!l.  A  good 
cow  brought  thirty  ])oiuids,  a  [lair  of  oxen  forty  pounds,  and  a  horse  forty 
pounds,  while  the  jiriee  of  a  negro  was  on  an  average  sixteen  dollars. 


^,%S5:^^ 


Trading  with  the  Indians. 


82  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 


CHAPTER     VI. 

1638-1641. 

GOVERNOR  WILHELM  KIEFT. 

Governor  "Wilhelm  Kieft.  —  The  Extraordinary  Council.  —  Abuses.  —  Proclama- 
tions. —  The  Dominie's  Wedding.  —A  Curious  Slander  Case.  —  The  First  Ferry 
TO  Long  Island.  —  Encroachments  of  the  Swedes.  —  A  new  Policy.  —  Captain 
De  Vries's  Arrival.  — The  Pioneer  Settlers. — Oloff  Stevensen  Van  Cortlandt. 
—  English  Ambition.  —  Captain  De  Vries's  Travels  and  what  he  saw.  —  Pur- 
chase of  Indian  Lands.  —  Trouble  with  the  Indians.  —  The  new  Charter  of 
Freedoms  and  Exemptions.  —  The  Stoue-Keeper.  —  The  Six  Murderers.  —  Muni- 
cipal Regulations. — The  first  Marine  Telegraph  in  the  Harbor. 

r^  OVEENOK  WILHELM  KIEFT  was  somewhat  coolly  received 
VlT"  when,  after  a  long  and  tedious  voyage  in  the  Herring,  he  landed  on 
Manhattan  Island,  March  28,  1638.  Eumors  to  his  disadvantage  had 
preceded  him.  It  was  said  that  he  had  once  failed  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  in  Holland,  and,  according  to  custom,  his  jjortrait  had 
been  affixed  to  the  gallows  in  consequence.  That,  in  Dutch  estimation, 
was  a  lasting  disgrace.  Since  then,  he  had  been  sent  by  the  government 
as  Minister  to  Turkey,  and  had  been  intrusted  with  money  to  procure  the 
ransom  of  some  Christians  in  bondage.  The  captives  were  left  in  their 
chains,  and  the  money  was  never  refunded.  Such  unfortunate  antece- 
dents were  not  calculated  to  inspire  confidence,  and  the  man  himself  had 
no  personal  attractions.  He  was  small  in  size,  fussy,  bustling,  fiery,  and 
avaricious.  He  had  a  wiry  look,  as  if  he  was  constantly  standing  on 
guard ;  prominent,  sharp  features ;  and  deep-set,  restless  gray  eyes.  He 
was  industrious  and  strictly  temperate,  not  wanting  in  natural  abilities, 
and  far  from  heedless  of  the  laws  of  morality ;  but  his  education  was 
limited  and  his  self-conceit  unrestrained,  and  in  his  ignorance  of  the 
true  principles  of  government  he  imagined  himself  able  to  legislate, 
individually,  for  all  mankind. 

He  seized  the  reins  of  authority  with  the  air  of  a  master,  the  will  of  a 
tyrant,  and  a  determination  of  spirit  which  would  not  brook  interfer- 
ence.    He  consulted  no  one.     He  showed  no  deference  to  the  opinions  of 


THE    EXTRM)i;i>lS.\UY    COlWCIL.  83 

the  intollij,'('nt  few  who  were  aln-atly  (ixiH'iieiiced  in  the  matter  of  treat- 
iii<j;  with  the  Indians.  He  phieed  hini.self  on  a  pedestal,  and  looked  loltily 
over  the  heads  of  his  suhjects.  The  West  India  Company  had  accorded 
him  the  privilege  of  Hxinjf  the  numl)er  of  his  council.  He  warily  chose 
one  man.  Tlie  favored  iiulividual  was  Dr.  Johannes  Li  Moiilagne,  a 
learned  and  highly  bred  French  Huguenot,  who  had  escaped  fronj  the 
rage  of  religious  persecution  the  year  before,  and  found  his  Canaan  in 
the  Dutch  settlement  on  Manhattan  Island.  His  jjarents  Itelouged  to  the 
(tncicnne  noblesse  of  France,  —  a  fact  which  he  took  ])ains  neither  to  pronml- 
gate  nor  conceal,  but  which  might  have  revealed  itsell'in  a  thousand  ways, 
even  if  his  unusual  accomplishments  and  elegant  maimers  had  not  won 
universal  admiration.  He  was  a  widower  with  four  interesting  children, 
\i])on  whom  he  bestowed  great  care  and  aflfection.  He  gave  them  lessons 
daily,  and  perfected  their  education  in  such  a  masterly  manner  that  his 
three  daughters  grew  up  to  be  the  most  attractive  women  of  their  day  in 
the  province,  and  his  son  became  a  man  of  fortune  and  position.  Two  of 
Dr.  La  Montague's  daughters  married  pliysicians,  —  Dr.  Hans  Kiersted 
and  Dr.  Van  Imbroeck.  His  youngest  daughter,  Marie,  became  the  wife 
of  Jacob  Kip.  Dr.  La  Montague  practiced  medicine  for  many  years,  and 
was  the  only  doctor  on  Manhattan  in  whom  the  settlers  had  any  confi- 
dence. 

Kieft  was  quick  to  recognize  the  prospective  value  of  .•^uch  a  man's 
advice  in  state  atiairs  ;  but,  as  a  governor,  he  was  resolved  to  hold  the 
supreme  command  himself  in  every  particular.  He  therefore  curiously 
arranged  that  his  one  councilor  should  be  entitled  to  one  vote,  while  he 
reserved  to  himself  two  votes.  Such  a  high-handed  act  of  despotism 
would  not  have  been  tolerated  a  day  in  any  part  of  the  Dutch  Republic ; 
and  it  only  serves  to  illustrate  the  inattention  of  the  West  India  Company 
to  the  best  interests  of  their  colony.  Indeed,  the  company  were  discuss- 
ing the  question  at  that  very  time,  "  whether  it  would  not  l)e  expedient 
to  place  the  district  of  New  Netherland  at  the  disjiosal  of  the  States- 
General." 

Kieft  patronizingly  declared  his  willingness  to  admit  an  invited  guest, 
perhaps  tw'o,  into  his  extraordinary  council  board,  on  occasions  when 
special  cases  were  to  be  tried  in  which  either  himself  or  Dr.  La  Mon- 
tague were  supposed  to  be  interested ;  but  as  long  as  it  was  judged  a 
high  crime  to  appeal  to  any  other  tribunal,  the  condescension  was 
sneeringly  commented  upon  by  the  democratic  colonists.  Cornelis  Van 
Tienhoven  won  his  way  into  the  new  governor's  favor  through  a 
little  adroit  flattery,  and  was  made  secretary  of  the  pro\ance  at  a  salary 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  year.     A  few  days  later,  Ulrich 


84  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

Lupoid  was  appointed  slieriti'  although  his  qualifications  for  that  ottice 
\vere  bitterly  questioned. 

Kieft  sent,  with  his  tirst  letter  to  Holland,  a  formal  statement  of  the 
ruinous  condition  in  which  he  had  found  the  colony.     He  said  :  — 

"  The  fort  is  open  at  every  side  except  the  stone  point  ;  the  gims  are  dis- 
mounted ;  the  houses  and  public  buildings  are  all  out  of  repair ;  the  magazine 
for  merchandise  has  disappeared  ;  every  vessel  in  the  harbor  is  faUing  to  pieces  ; 
only  one  wind-mill  is  m  operation  ;  the  farms  of  the  company  are  without  ten- 
ants, and  thrown  into  commons  ;  tlie  cattle  are  all  sold,  or  on  the  plantations  of 
\'an  TwiUer." 

Not  very  cheerful  news  for  the  disheartened  company.  Van  TMdUer 
had  retired  to  private  life,  and  taken  up  his  abode  in  the  house  which  he 
had  built  upon  the  company's  farm.  Immediately  upon  Kieft's  arrival, 
the  ex-governor  commenced  negotiations  for  hiring  both  house  and  farm, 
and  in  a  few  days  succeeded  in  concluding  an  arrangement  at  a  yearly 
rent  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  guilders,  together  with  a  sixth  part  of 
the  produce.  The  inventory  of  his  private  property  was  in  startling 
contrast  to  the  general  state  of  decay  and  dilapidation  throughout  the 
colony,  and  his  manner  of  living  was  so  ostentatious  that  he  was  re- 
garded with  scorn  by  the  honest  portion  of  the  little  community. 

Abuses  existed  in  every  department  of  the  pubKc  service.  Private 
individuals  were  constantly  smuggling  furs  and  tobacco,  and  selling  fire- 
arms to  the  Indians,  in  open  disregard  of  orders.  Law  seemed  fast  be- 
coming obsolete.  Kieft  commenced  the  reformatory  work  by  proclama- 
tions. They  were  written  in  a  plain  hand  and  pasted  on  posts,  trees, 
barns,  and  fences.  All  selling  of  guns  or  powder  to  the  Indians  was 
prohibited,  under  pain  of  death.  Illegal  traffic  in  furs  was  forbidden. 
Tobacco  was  made  subject  to  excise.  The  retailing  of  liquors  was  limited 
to  wine,  "  in  moderate  quantities."  Hours  were  fixed  for  laborers  to  stop 
work  ;  sailors  were  ordered  not  to  lea^-e  their  ships  after  night-faU.  All 
the  vices  were  forbidden.  No  person  might  leave  the  island  without  a 
passport.  Thursday  of  each  week  was  appointed  for  the  regular  sitting 
of  the  council. 

Presently,  the  self-sufficient  lawgiver  ordereil  that  no  attestations  or 
other  public  wTitings  should  be  valid  before  a  court  in  New  Netherland 
unless  they  were  written  by  the  colonial  secretary.  This  arbitrary  regu- 
hition  provoked  opposition,  and  Was  declared  on  all  sides  to  be  oppressive, 
and  intended  to  restrain  popidar  rights.  The  policy  of  the  measure  was 
defended  by  the  sycophantic  Van  Tienhoven,  who  declared  that  most  of 
the  parties  who  went  to  law  for  the  redress  of  their  grievances  were  illit- 


A/irSKS.       I'L'iii-I.AMATlnSS.  85 

cnih'  coimtrvmcii  nr  siiilms,  wIki  could   iviitl  or  write  Itiil  iiulillciciilly  or 
iiol  ill  all. 

Doiniiiit"  r>o,i;iiiilus,  when  lir  hcanl  of  the  cliiirt,'t'.s  wliii'li  \'aii  l)iiick- 
lix<4en  had  prclbrred  ajfaiiist  him  iiclmc  thf  Classis  of  Aiii.slerdain,  iteli- 
tioued  the  uoviMiior  for  leave  to  return   to    Holland   and   dei'eiid   hini.seU'. 


Autograph  of  Everardus  Bogardus. 


Kioft  entered  warmly  into  the  feelings  of  the  church  and  people,  and 
finally  resolved  "  to  retain  Dominie  Everardus  Bogardus,  that  the  in- 
terests of  God's  Word  may  in  no  wise  be  preventeil " ;  and  he  also 
prayed  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam  "  for  the  protection  of  their  esteemed 
preacher."  ^ 

Not  long  after,  the  jiriueipal  families  ami  personages  at  Manhattan 
were  invited  to  attend  the  marriage  of  the  Dominie  to  the  famous  Anetje 
Jans,  who,  although  she  may  not  have  seemed  rich  in  the  days  when  great 
landed  estates  were  to  be  bought  for  a  few  strings  of  beads,  yet  is  rever- 
enced by  her  numerous  descendants  as  among  the  very  goddesses  of 
wealth.  She  was  a  small,  well-formed  woman,  with  delicate  features, 
transparent  complexion,  and  bright,  beautiful  dark  eyes.  She  had  a  well- 
balanced  mind,  a  sunny  disposition,  winning  manners,  and  a  kind  heart ; 
and  soon  became  very  dear  to  the  people  of  the  church  over  which  her 
husband  w^as  pastor,  besides  being  a  distinguished  and  valuable  counselor 
to  her  own  numerous  family  of  children. 

A  curious  regulation  was  instituted  al)out  that  time  in  relation  to  the 
ringing  of  the  town  bell.  Its  chief  office  was  to  call  the  devout  to 
church  on  the  Sal)batli ;  but  Kieft  ordered  it  rung  every  evening  at  nine 
o'clock,  to  announce  the  hour  for  retiring ;  also  every  morning  and  even- 
ing at  a  given  hour,  to  call  persons  to  and  from  their  labor;  and,  on 
Thursdays,  to  summon  prisoners  into  coiu-t.  We  take  the  following  from 
the  unpublished  Dutch  manuscrijrts  at  the  New  York  City  Hall :  "^  — 

"  October  14th,  1638.     For  scauilalizmg  the  governor,   Henclrick  Janseii  is 

1  (or.  CI.  Amsterdam,  19th  Nov.,  I(i41  :  1st  Ainil.  1642,  anU,  p.  273. 

'•'  The  official  records  of  New  Netlu'rlaiid  luivc  fortunately  been  preserved  in  an  almost  un- 
broken series  from  the  time  of  Kieft's  inauguration,  and  afibrd  authentic  and  copious  materials 
for  the  historian. 


86  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

sentenced  to  stand  at  the  fort  entrance,  at  the  ringing  of  the  bell,  and  ask  the 
governor's  pardon." 

Under  the  same  date,  — 

"  For  drawing  his  knife  upon  a  person,  Guysbert  Van  Regerslard  is  sentenced 
to  throw  himself  tliree  times  from  the  sailyard  of  the  yacht  Hope,  and  to  receive 
from  each  sailor  three  lashes,  at  the  ringing  of  the  hell." 

And,— 

"  Grietje  lieiniers,  for  slandering  the  Dominie  Everardus  Bogardus,  is  con- 
demned to  appear  at  Fort  Amsterdam,  at  the  sounding  of  the  hell,  and  declare 
before  the  governor  and  council  that  she  knew  the  minister  to  be  an  honest  and 
pious  man,  and  that  she  had  lied  falsely." 

The  records  give  us  an  insight  into  the  cause  as  well  as  the  merits  of 
this  slander  case.  Mrs.  Bogardus  went  to  pay  a  friendly  visit  to  a 
neighbor ;  but,  on  getting  into  the  "  entry,"  discovered  that  Grietje  Eei- 
niers,  a  woman  of  questionable  reputation,  was  in  the  house,  and  there- 
upon turned  about  and  went  home.  Grietje  was  greatly  offended  at  this 
"  snubbing  "  from  the  Dominie's  lady,  and  followed  her,  making  disagree- 
able remarks.  While  passing  a  blacksmith's  shop,  where  the  road  was 
muddy,  Mrs.  Bogardus  raised  her  dress  a  little,  and  Grietje  was  very 
invidious  in  her  criticisms.  The  Dominie  thought  fit  to  make  an  ex- 
ample of  her;  hence  the  suit.  Grietje's  husband  being  in  arrears  for 
church  dues,  Bogardus  sent  for  him  and  ordered  payment,  and,  not  getting 
it,  finally  sued  for  the  amount. 

In  some  respects  Kieft  brought  order  out  of  chaos,  and  improved  the 
appearance  of  the  town.  Most  of  the  houses  were  in  clusters  without 
regard  to  streets,  and  grouped  near  the  walls  of  the  fort.  Pearl  Street 
was  then  a  simple  road  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  It  is  at  no  very  distant 
date  that  Water,  Front,  and  South  Streets  were  reclaimed  from  the 
water.  Pearl  was  undoubtedly  the  first  street  occupied  for  building  pur- 
poses, and  Kieft  selected  it  for  the  best  class  of  dwellings,  on  account  of 
its  fine  river-prospect.  The  lone  wind-mill  stood  on  State  Street,  and 
was,  as  seen  from  the  bay,  the  most  prominent  object  on  the  island.  Not 
far  from  it  were  the  bakeiy,  brewery,  and  warehouse  of  the  company. 

A  feiTy  to  Long  Island  had  been  established  before  Kieft's  arrival, 
from  the  vicinity  of  Peck's  Slip  to  a  point  a  little  below  the  present 
Fulton  Ferry.  Cornells  Dircksen,  who  had  a  farm  in  that  vicinity,  came 
at  the  sound  of  a  born,  which  hiing  against  a  tree,  and  ferried  the  wait- 
ing passengers  across  the  river  in  a  skiff,  for  the  moderate  charge  of 
three  stivers  in  wampum.  Many  thousands  now  cross  the  Brooklyn 
ferries  daily  at  about  the  same  place. 


(■OMl'KTrrioX    OF   SWHDKS. 


HI 


TluMV  WHS  ;i  road  wliicli  had  Ik-cm  rmiiicd  l.y  tni\r|  limn  tlic  Iml 
towards  Llie  northern  part  of  Manhattan  Island,  crookin;,'  aliuiiL  to  avoid 
hills  and  raviuus,  and  which  uii,i,dit  havy  Infcn  nioni  truly  ciiilrd  a  jialii. 
r|)()ii  I'ilhcr  side  of  it,  allhniii^h  at  considerable  distances  apart,  t'arni.s  were 
laid  out,  and  sonu^   JMi-lish  .  ulmiists,  who  ivnioved  to  this  hitheito  imcul- 


First  Ferry  to  Long  Island. 


tivated  district  from  Virginia,  brought  \\ith  them  cherry  and  peach  trees, 
and  soon  rendered  it  somewhat  interesting  to  agriculturists.  Kieft  was 
extravagantly  fond  of  flowers,  and  encouraged  gardening  after  the  most 
approved  European  standard.  He  also  stocked  the  farms  with  fine  cattle. 
Sweden  all  at  once  appeared  as  a  competitor  with  France,  England, 
and  Holland  for  a  foothold  in  North  America.  Peter  Miniiet  had  offered 
to  that  power  the  benefit  of  his  colonial  experience ;  and  an  ex- 
pedition was  placed  under  his  direction,  with  fifty  emigrants,  a 
Lutheran  minister,  goods  for  the  Indian  trade,  and  the  necessaries  for 
making  a  little  colony  comfortable  in  a  strange  land.  They  came  to 
the  Delaware  Bay  country,  where  Minuet  bought  of  the  sachem  Matte- 
hoorn,  for  "  a  kettle  and  other  trifles,"  as  much  land  as  would  serve  to 
build  a  house  upon  and  make  a  plantation.  For  this  land  a  deed  was 
given,  written  in  Low  Dutch,  as  no  Swede  could  interpret  the  Indian  lan- 
guage. Upon  the  strength  of  this  conveyance,  the  Swedes  claimed  to  have 
bought  all  the  territory  on  the  west  side  of  the  Delaware  River,  from  Cape 
Henlopen  to  the  Falls  of  Trenton,  and  as  far  inland  as  they  might  want.^ 

1  Acrelius  in  11  N.  Y.  E.  S.  Col.,  Vol.  I.  409.  JSTew  Fork  Col.  lilSS.  ffudde's  Report. 
Hazard,  Am.  Fenn,  42,  43.  Brodluad,  Vol.  I.  p.  282.  Letter  of  Jerome  Hawley,  Treasurer 
of  Virginia,  to  Secretary  IVindchanke,  May  8,  1638,  in  London  Documents.  O'Callaghan, 
I.  190.     Ferris,  42,  45.     Holm,  85. 


88  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

As  soon  as  Kieft  heard  the  news,  he  wrote  Miniiet  a  letter  of  re- 
monstrance, of  which  the  latter  took  no  heed,  but  went  on  building-  his 
fort,  which  he  called  Fort  Christiana,  in  honor  of  the  young  queen  of 
Sweden.  Before  midsummer,  he  went  to  Europe  with  the  first  cargo 
of  fui'S.  Kieft  Avas  uncertain  what  course  to  pursue,  and  wrote  to  the 
company  for  instructions.  Sweden  was,  however,  just  then,  too  powerful 
a  kingdom  and  too  dangerous  a  neighbor  to  pick  a  quarrel  w4th,  for  the 
company  was  already  on  the  decline  ;  therefore  the  Swedes  became  the 
first  European  occupants  of  the  State  of  Delaware. 

By  this  time  the  company,  in  sheer  despair,  had  matured  a  more 
liberal  policy,  by  which  they  hoped  to  improve  their  mismanaged  prov- 
ince of  New  Netherland.  Every  emigrant  should  be  accommodated, 
according  to  his  means,  with  as  much  land  as  he  could  properly  cultivate. 
He  should  be  conveyed  to  New  Netherland,  with  his  cattle  and  merchan- 
dise, in  the  company's  ships,  at  a  duty  of  ten  per  cent  ad  valorem,  paid  to 
the  company.  A  quit-rent  of  one  tenth  of  the  produce  was  exacted,  but 
legal  estates  of  inheritance  were  assured  to  the  grantees  of  all  the  land. 
Ministers,  schoolmasters,  and  negro  slaves  were  promised ;  and  also  pro- 
tection and  assistance  in  case  of  war.  Forts  and  public  buildings  were 
to  be  kept  in  repair,  and  law  and  order  maintained  by  the  company ; 
and  each  new  settler  was  required  to  declare  under  his  signature  that 
he  would  voluntarily  submit  to  existing  authorities.  It  was  a  step  in 
advance,  although  far  short  of  the  emergency,  and  arrangements  for  re- 
moval to  America  were  immediately  made  by  many  persons  of  capital 
and  influence  in  Holland. 

Captain  De  Vries  sailed  in  September,  with  a  party  of  emigrants,  to 
take  possession  of  Staten  Island.  When  they  arrived  oft'  Sandy 
Hook,  winter  had  set  in,  and  all  were  homesick  and  disheart- 
ened. The  captain  of  the  vessel  proposed  going  to  the  West 
Indies,  to  stay  until  spring ;  but  De  Vries  objected,  and  offered  to  pilot 
the  ship  into  port,  which  he  accordingly  did.  He  was  always  a  welcome 
visitor  at  New  Amsterdam,  but  perhaps  never  more  so  than  now,  as  no 
ship  was  expected  at  such  a  season  of  the  year,  and  its  coming  was  an 
agreeable  break  in  the  monotony  of  colonial  life.  De  Vries  was  invited 
to  the  governor's  house  and  treated  with  distinguished  attention.  His 
people  remained  on  the  vessel  for  a  few  days,  when  they  proceeded 
to  Staten  Island,  and  constructed  some  log-cabins,  to  live  in  until 
spring. 

Kieft,  in  looking  about  him,  thought  it  was  well  to  secure  more  land  to 
the  company ;  and  he  purchased  from  the  Indian  chiefs,  during  that  and 
the  following  year,  nearly  aU  the  territory  now  comprising  the  county 


Till',  no m: 111!  si:Tri.i:i:s.  W 

o\  ()\\vv\\s.^      A  tew  iiidiillis  iiftcrwiinl.  he  scciirrd  a  laruf  trad  dI'  laml  in 

West  Clu'stor,  wliicli  is  sniiixiscd  tn  iiiclinlc   tlic   pniHcuit  town   of 

■  '  '  i«:»tt. 

Vonkeis.'^      Porlioiis   of   these    lands   were   soon   dec^U'd   away   t«» 

enterprisinjf    settlors;  lor,   liy    reason  of  the  more  Iil)(!ral  syst«'in  <if  the 
company,  a  rapid  impulse  had   Iwen  •,dven  to  the  settlement  of 
the  province.      In  Auj^ust  ol'  this  year,  Antony  .lansen  Van  Vaiis, 
a  French  Hunin'uot,  from  Salee,  houglit  two  hundred   acres  on  the  west 
end  of  \M\\t  Island,  and  a  part  of  the  ])resent  towns  of  New  Ctrccht  and 
Gravesend,  of  which  he  was  the  pioneer  settlei-.     On  ihe  I'Sth  of 
Noveml)er  following,   Thomas   Bescher  received    a    patent    for   a 
tobacco  plantation  "on  the  beach  of  Long  Island,"   suj)posed    to    U'  ^i 
])()rtion  of  the  site  of  Brooklyn.     About  the  same  time,  CJeorge 
Holms,  the  leader  of   the  exi)editiou  against  Fort    Xas.sau,  who 
had  returned  to  cast  his  fortunes  among  the    Dutch    at    Fort    Amster- 
dam, entered  into  partnership  with  his  countryman,  Thomas  Hall,  and 
lH)ught  a  large  farm  on   Dental  Bay,  a  small  cove  ou  the  East    River, 
now  known  as  Tinlle  Bay,^  where  they  built  a  very  comfortable  house. 
Attracted  by  the  greater  religious  freedom  among  the  Dutch,  uumliers 
came  from  New  England  and  settled  at  various  points  on  Long  Lsland, 
at  West  Chester,  and  at  New  Amsterdam.     Among  them  was  Captain 
John  Underbill,  who  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  Pequod  war,  and 
liad  since  been  governor  of  Dover.     That  is,  he  made  arrangements  for 
removal,  and  sent  severalof  his  people;  but  he  was  himself  detained 
to  undergo  ecclesiastical  proceedings  from  the  "  proud  Pharisees,"  as  he 
called  them,  and  only  arrived  in  New  Amsterdam  in  1643.     But  there 
was  an  influx  of  the  poorer  class  from  Virginia  which  was  not  bene- 
ficial, except  so  far  as  their  experience  in  tobacco  and  finiit  culture  was 
concerned ;   for  they  were  English   convicts,  sent   out   as  laborers,  and 
glad  to  escape  as  soon  as  their  term  of  ser\nce  had  expired.     They  were 
very  much  given  to  drinking  and  lawlessness. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  summer,  New  Amsterdam  had  been  visited 
l)y  two  somewhat  remarkable  men,  A\'ho  were  so  much  pleased  with 
what  they  saw  that  they  retiu'ned  to  Europe  and  soon  after  came  back 
to  establish  themselves  here  with  their  families.  These  were  Jochem 
Pietersen  Ku}i;er,  of  Darmstadt,  who  had  held  a  high   position  in  the 

1  Thomson's  Long  Island.     Dr.  Stiles' s  History  of  Brooklyn. 

2  Bolton's  West  Chester,  11,  401.     Alb.  Rcc.  G.  G.,  59,  62. 

*  The  Dutch  name  Deutal,  which  the  English  corrapted  to  Turtle,  signified  a  peg  with 
which  casks  were  secured.  These  pegs  were  short,  but  broad  at  the  base  ;  and  as  the  bay  was 
narrow  at  the  entrance,  but  wide  within,  the  resemblance  suggested  the  name.  Judge  Ben- 
son's Memoir,  96. 


90 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 


East  Indies  under  the  government  of  Denmark ;  and  Cornells  Melyn,  of 
Antwerp.  They  were  both  men  of  property  and  ability,  of  some  culture, 
and  of  wide  experience  in  the  ways  of  the  world,  and  they  soon  rose  to 
prominence  in  the  colony.  Thirty  or  more  farms  were  now  under  success- 
ful cultivation,  and  the  country  began  to  wear  an  air  of  healthy  activity. 
The  only  obligation  required  from  foreigners  was  an  oath  of  allegiance 
similar  to  that  which  was  imposed  upon  the  Dutch  colonists. 

In  July,  Ulrlch  Lupoid  was  removed  from  the  post  of  sheriff  to  that 
of  commissary  of  wares,  and  Cornells  Van  der  Huygens  was  appointed  in 
his  place.  Jacob  Van  Corlear  and  David  Provoost  were  made  inspectors 
of  tobacco,  and  Oloff  Stevensen  Van  Cortlandt  was  appointed  commis- 
sary of  the  shop.     This  latter  personage  came  out  in  the  same    vessel 

with  Kieft  from 
Holland,  as  a  sol- 
dier in  the  service 
of  the  company, 
and  this  was  his 
first  promotion.  He 
was  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  the  Dukes 
of  Courland  in  Kus- 
sla.  His  ancestors, 
when  deprived  of 
the  duchy  of  Cour- 
land, emigrated  to 
Holland.  The 
family  name  was 
Stevens,  or  Stevensen,  van  (from)  Courland,  and  they  adopted  the  latter 
as  a  surname,  the  true  orthography  in  Dutch  being  Kortelandt,  signify- 
ing short-land} 

Michel  Evertsen  was  clerk  of  the  customs,  —  the  first  record  in 
New  Netherland  of  an  honorable  Dutch  name,  which  has  been  handed 
down  to  many  highly  respected  families  in  the  State  of  New  York  and 
elsewhere.  Gerrit  Schult  and  Hans  Kiersted  were  regularly  bred  sur- 
geons, sent  out  from  Holland  by  the  West  India  Company.  The  latter 
maiTied  Sarah,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Dr.  La  Montague.  Gysbert  Op 
Dyck  was  sent  as  commissary  to  Fort  Good  Hope. 


Van  Cortlandt  ManorHouse. 


1  The  above  statements  are  founded  upon  Burke's  History  of  the  English  Commomrs,  The 
Heraldic  Bearings  and  Family  Tradition.  "  Let  those  who  would  disparage  the  origin  of  this 
noble  family  go  to  work  and  disprove  what  has  long  ago  been  asserted  of  them."  —  Rev. 
Robert  Bolton  to  the  Author,  November  11,  1872. 


KMUJSII    AMItlTIOX.  \)\ 

Tlic  sluti'  III  iiiDials  in  New  Aiiislfidiiiii  was  Ity  no  niouns  licallliy, 
owin;^  III  tlu!  <i;reat  variety  of  |K;i's»ni.s  wlio  were  coniiiiji  into  the  town  ; 
and  iMiisccutions  and  |iunislnnfnls  lor  dislioncsty  and  |ml)lic.  execnliou.s 
lor  miinliT  ami  inuliiiy  were  iiol  iiiirri|iii'rit  Tlie  ;,'overnor  was  con- 
tinually on  the  aid!,  I)iit,  Iroiii  his  nritaMc  nature,  conniianded  no  re- 
spect, and  was  oiilii^cd  to  cnrorcc  olicclience.  Assuming'  soverei^Mity 
and  refusing  counsel,  he  soon  conuuitted  an  act  of  the  greatest  indis- 
cretion. He  levied  a  triliutc  o|'  ••  maize  furs  or  aewan  "  upon  the 
Indians,  under  the  pU-a  that  on  their  account  the  company  was 
hurdened  with  the  heavy  expenses  of  lortitications  anil  ;,'arrisons.  In 
case  they  ret"u.sed  to  pay  it,  he  threatened  to  compel  them  to  do  s(».' 
The  disastrous  cousequeuces,  we  shall  soon  have  occasion  to  iclaU- 

In  the  mean  time,  the  iuihjmitable  New-Englauders  had  liccii  ]iushin;j 
westward,  and  had  established  themselves  at  a  place  wliicli  the  Diiich 
called  Roodeberu,  or  Red  Hill,  but  to  which  the  English  i;a\f  the  name 
of  New  Haven  ;  and  so  rapidly  had  the  settlement  tilled  up,  that  ihey 
had  already  a  handsome  chinch  iaiilt,  and  more  than  lliree  hundicd 
houses.  They  had  bought  large  tracts  around  them  and  planted  numer- 
ous smaller  towns.  Captain  De  Vries  went  on  a  voyage  of  ol)servatiou 
uj)  tlie  (Connecticut  River,  during  the  summer  of  1639,  and  was  agree- 
aiily  entertained  by  the  English  governor  at  Hartford,  which  was  (piite 
a  thriving  ]ilace,  with  a  church  and  a  hundred  or  more  houses.  Captain 
De  \'ries  was  very  fraid<  with  his  English  liosl,  and  told  him  that  it 
was  not  right  to  take  hauls  which  the  West  India  Company  had  bought 
and  paid  for.  The  reply  was,  that  those  lands  were  uncultivated,  and  no 
eflort  made  to  improve  them,  and  it  seemed  a  sin  to  let  such  valuable 
property  go  to  waste,  when  tine  crops  could  be  raised  with  a  little  care. 
De  Vries  noticed  that  the  English  lived  there,  to  quote  his  exact  words, 
"  very  soberly."  "  They  only  drank  three  times  at  a  meal,  and  those 
who  got  tipsy  were  whipped  on  a  pole,  as  thieves  were  in  Holland  "  ;  and 
their  whole  government  was  rigorous  in  the  extreme. 

The  Dutch  held  their  one  small  foothold  near  by ;  but  it  was  of  very 
little  use  to  them,  for  the  English  openly  denied  even  their  right  to  the 
ground  about  the  redoubt.  From  words  it  came  to  blows,  and  Evert 
Duyckingck,  one  of  the  garrison  of  fourteen  men,  was  cudgeled  while 
sowing  grain  in  the  spring  of  1640.  Disgusted  wdth  the  command  of 
a  post  without  adequate  force  to  protect  it  from  insult.  Op  Dyck  resigned 
his  office,  and  Jan  Heudricksen  Roesen  succeeded  him. 

With  a  boldness  fostered  by  the  consciousness  of  su])erior  munbei-s, 
smart  little  towns  were  started  all  along  the  Connecticut  River  to  its 

1  Tlie  Aiusterdam  Chamber  denied  any  knowledge  of  tliis  nieasui.'. 


92  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW    YORK. 

mouth,  where  a  strong  fort  was  in  existence,  and  where  Saybrook,  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  Fenwick,  who  had  just  aiTived  from  England, 
accompanied  by  his  beautiful  wife,  the  Lady  Alice,  had  become  quite  a 
flourishing  settlement.  On  the  borders  of  the  Sound,  De  Vries  saw  also 
other  evidences  of  English  enterprise.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Housatonic 
the  village  of  Stratford  already  contained  more  than  fifty  houses.  Men, 
like  stray  bees,  were  beginning  to  build  at  Norwalk  and  Stamford,  and 
even  at  Greenwich  two  houses  were  erected.  One  of  these  was  occupied 
by  Captain  Daniel  Patrick,  who  had  been  an  officer  in  the  Pequod  war, 
and  had  had  ample  opportunity  for  inspecting  the  country,  and  who  had 
married  a  Dutch  lady  at  the  Hague.  The  other  was  occupied  by  Eobeit 
Feake,  whose  wife  was  the  daughter-in-law  of  Governor  Winthrop,^  and 
who  afterward  purchased  a  title  to  the  whole  region,  and  held  it  for  two 
years  in  defiance  of  Dutch  authority. 

Eeturning  to  his  plantation  on  Staten  Island,  De  Vries  found  it  lan- 
guishing for  want  of  proper  colonists,  because  his  partner  in  Holland  had 
not  fulfilled  his  agreement  to  send  them.  He  spent  a  few  days  there  and 
then  visited  New  Amsterdam,  where  two  vessels  had  just  arrived,  one  of 
which  belonged  to  the  company  ;  the  other  was  a  private  ship,  laden  Avith 
cattle,  and  belonged  to  Captain  Jochem  Pietersen  Kuyter. 
1640.  Later  in  the  season,  De  Vries  found  a  better  situation,  about  six 
Feb.  10.  jyijgg  above  the  fort  on  the  Hudson  Eiver,  where  there  were  some 
sixty  acres  of  "  corn  land,"  and  no  trees  to  cut  down.  There  was,  be- 
sides, hay  enough  upon  it  for  two  hundred  head  of  cattle.  He  accom- 
plished its  purchase  of  the  Indians,  and  determined  to  live  half  of  the 

time  there.  On  the  15th  of  April,  he  sailed  on  a  voyage  up  the 
Apni  15.  jj^^jgQj^^  ^^^  jj-g  circumstantial  journal  gives  a  very  interesting 
picture  of  the  country  along  its  banks.  From  this  trip  he  did  not  return 
until  December,  and  then  immediately  conmienced  improving  his  new 
estate,  which  he  called  Vriesendael. 

As  yet  there  were  few  Dutch  colonists  east  of  the  Harlem  River ;  and 

Kieft,  rendered  anxious  by  English  progress,  sent  Secretary  Van 
April  19.  rp-g^^^^gj^  ^  purchase  the  group  of  islands  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Norwalk  River,  together  with  the  adjoining  territory  on  the  mainland, 
and  to  erect  thereon  the  standard  of  the  States-General,  "  so  as  to  effectu- 
ally prevent  any  other  nation's  encroachment."  These  directions  were 
executed,  and  the  West  India  Company  thereby  obtained  the  Indian  title 

to  all  the  country  between  the  Norwalk  and  North  Rivers.     On 
^^    '    the  10th  of  May  of  the  same  year,  Kieft  also  bought  of  the  great 
chief  Penhawitiz  the  territory  forming  the  present  county  of  Kings,  on 
1  Robert  Feake  married  the  widow  of  Henry  Winthrop. 


i'ii;<'iiAsi:  OF  iShiA.s    L.WDs.  Wis 

L.ii-  Island.  All  till'  lands  casl  ..r  Oyster  I'.ay,  wlncli  jurm  (lie  county 
»)!'  Siillolk,  reniiiined,  however,  in  the  iiiinds  (•!'  its  alntii<,'inal  htnls. 

What  WHS  the  surprise  of  the  j^overnor  of  New  Nelherland  when,  one 
morning,  a  Scotchman,  named  Farrett,  jtr(;sented  himself  at  Fort  Amster- 
dam and  claimed  tlu;  whole  of  Long  Island,  under  a  commission  from  the 
Earl  of  Stirling !  He  had  already  confirmed  Li(»n  (lardiner's  jiurchiise 
of  Gardiner's  Islantl  ^  from  the  Indians,  and  empowered  him  to  make  and 
put  in  practice  all  necessary  laws  of  Church  and  SUite.  He  had  nuule 
an  agreement  with  several  i)ersoi»s  from  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  by  whiclj 
they  might  settle  upon  and  cultivate  any  lands  on  bjiig  Islanil  which 
they  should  Iniy  of  the  Indians.  Farrett  was  contemptuously  dismissed 
by  Kieft ;  but  the  Lynn  emigi-ants  soon  after  arrived  at  the  bead  of  Cow 
Bay,  jmlled  down  the  Ihitch  arms,  and  put  up  a  house  very  ([uickly. 
The  sachem  Tenhawitz  hun-ied  to  New  Amsterdam  with  the  news,  and 
Van  Tienhoven  was  dispatched  with  an  armed  force  to  aiTest  the  whole 
party  and  l)ring  them  before  the  governor.  Satisfied,  how^ever,  upon  ex- 
amination, that  they  were  not  in  fault,  Kieft  dismisseil  them  after  they 
had  signed  an  agreement  to  intrude  no  more  upon  Dutch  teiritory.  This 
led  to  the  innnediate  settlement  of  Southampton ;  lor  Fan-ett  discovered 
that  the  Dutch,  although  they  derided  Lord  Stirling's  claim,  were  chiefly 
anxious  to  maintain  possession  of  the  western  extremity  of  Long  Island, 
and  lie,  with  his  associates,  removed  and  settled  unmolested  farther  east. 

Up  to  this  time  the  relations  between  the  Dutch  and  the  Indians  had 
been  upon  the  whole  friendly.  But  many  of  the  colonists  had  neglected 
tlieir  farms  for  the  quicker  profits  of  traffic.  To  prosper  in  this  they  had 
allured  the  savages  to  their  homes,  fed  them  bountifully,  and  treated  them 
to  "  fire-water."  In  many  instances  the  jealousies  of  the  latter  had  been 
excited  against  each  other.  They  had  also  been  frequently  employed  as 
house  and  farm  servants  by  the  settlers ;  which  was  unwise,  because  they 
would  sometimes  steal,  and  then  nm  away  and  tell  their  tribes  about  the 
habits,  mode  of  life,  and  numerical  strength  of  the  Dutch. 

The  unhappiest  thing  of  all  was  supplying  the  red-men  with  fire-arms. 
The  Iroquois  warriors  at  first  considered  a  gun  "the  devil,"  and  would 
not  touch  it.  Champlain  taught  them  its  power,  and  then  they  were 
eager  to  possess  it.  For  a  musket  they  woidd  willingly  give  twenty 
beaver-skins.  For  a  pound  of  powder  they  were  glad  to  barter  the  value 
of  several  dollars.  It  mattered  not  that  the  West  India  Company  for- 
bade the  traffic  under  penalty  of  death,  and  that  their  executive  officer  at 
Manhattan  was  not  in  the  least  averse  to  capital  prmishment.     Such  im- 

•  The  price  paid  for  Gardiner's  Island  was  one  large  black  dog,  one  gun,  some  powder  and 
shot,  some  rum,  and  a  few  Dutch  blankets  :  in  value  about  £.  5. 


!)4  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  XFW   YORK. 

meuse  profits  were  too  tempting,  and  the  Mohawks  were  uheady  well 
armed.  It  was  less  easy  to  deal  with  the  river  tribes  without  discovery, 
and  the  latter  began  to  hate  the  Dutch  in  consequence.  Kieft's  taxes 
were  the  final  blow  to  their  friendshi]). 

In  July,  rumors  of  some  intended  hostile  demonstration  reached 

July. 

the  governor,  and  he  ordered  all  the  residents  of  New  Amster- 
dam to  arm  themselves,  and,  at  the  firing  of  three  guns,  to  repair,  under 
their  respective  officers,  equipped  for  warfare,  to  a  place  of  rendezvous. 
Without  waiting  to  be  attacked,  he  soon  found  an  excuse  to  become  the 
aggressor.  It  happened  that  some  persons  in  the  company's  service,  on 
their  way  to  Delaware  Eiver  in  July,  had  landed  at  Staten  Island  for 
wood  and  water,  and  stolen  some  swine  which  had  been  left  in  charge  of  a 
negro  by  De  Vries.  The  innocent  Earitan  Indians,  who  lived  twenty 
miles  or  more  inland,  were  accused  of  this  theft,  and  also  of  having  stolen 
the  canoe  of  a  trading  party. 

Kieft  thought  to  punish  them,  and  sent  Secretary  Van  Tienhoven,  with 
fifty  soldiers  and  twenty  sailors,  to  attack  them,  and  unless  they  made 
prompt  reparation,  to  destroy  then-  corn.  The  men  accompanying  Tien- 
hoven, knowing  the  governor's  temper,  were  anxious  to  kill  and  plunder 
at  once.  This  Tienhoven  refused  to  permit ;  but  finally,  vexed  with  their 
importunity,  he  left  them,  and  they  attacked  the  Indians,  several  of 
whom  were  killed  and  their  crops  destroyed.  Thus  was  the  seed  sown 
for  a  long  and  bloody  war.^ 

Meanwhile  the  directors  of  the  West  India  Company  had  not  ceased 
wrangling  with  each  other  and  with  the  patroons  ;_  but  they  agreed  upon  a 
new  Charter  of  Freedoms  and  Exemptions,  which  amended  materially  the 
obnoxious  instrument  of  1629.  All  good  inhabitants  of  New  Netherland 
were  to  select  lands  and  form  colonies,  to  be  limited  to  one  mile  along 
the  shore  of  a  bay  or  navigable  river,  and  two  miles  into  the  country. 
The  right  of  way  by  land  or  water  was  to  be  free  to  all,  and  disputes 
were  to  be  settled  by  the  governor,  under  all  circumstances.  The  feudal 
[irivileges  of  jurisdiction,  and  the  exclusive  right  of  hunting,  fishing, 
fowling,  grinding  corn,  etc.,  were  continued  to  the  patroons  as  an  estate 
of  inheritance,  with  descent  to  females  as  well  as  males.  Manufacturers 
were  permitted.  Another  class  of  proprietors  was  soon  established. 
Masters  or  Colonists  they  were  called,  and  were  such  as  should  convey 
fine-grown  persons  to  New  Netherland,  and  might  occupy  one  hundred 
acres  of  land.     Connnercial  privileges  were  very  greatly  extended,    al- 

'  Brceden  Raedt.  Chalmers's  Political  Annals.  Dc  Vries,  in  11  N.  V.  II.  S.  Co/.  Albany 
Records.  Kieft  is  accused  of  having  given  to  the  soldiers  themselves,  at  the  moment  of  em- 
barkation, even  harsher  orders  than  he  gave  to  Van  Tienhoven.     0' Callaglian,  I.  227,  note. 


TiiH  SIX  M(in>i:i;h:i:s.  !ir» 

tlu»iij;h  tlic  ((iiiiiiaiiy  JiilluTcd  t<i  tlic  system  ol'  micntiis  iiiiiiosts  I'ur  itn 
own  lu'iu'lil.  Tilt'  coTiipiiiiy  n-ncwcd  tlii-ir  pU-d^'c  to  luniisli  iii'i^idcs,  iirul 
iippoinl  and  siippoit  coiiipclciil  otliccrs,  "  tnr  llii'  prntci'tk)n  of  l\\v.  j^oimI 
iind  the  puiiishint'iit  of  tlio  wirkcd."  Tlu'  j^'ovi'iiior  and  liis  ('(tuncil  wrn- 
still  to  act  as  an  mplians'  and  snir()<i;atc''s  court,  to  jud^^'c  in  ciiniinal  an<l 
rolijiious  allaiis,  and  adniinistci  law  and  jiisticr.  Tlic  Dutch  llcloiiiicd 
relijiion  was  to  l»c  publicly  taui^ht  and  sauctioucd,  and  ministers  and 
schoolmasters  were  to  be  sustained. 

The  peo])le  in  and  around  New  Amsterdam  were  <,'encr;dly  supplied 
with  necessary  goods  of  all  descriptions  from  the  company's  sUjre. 
But  it  was  well  known  that  they  were  sold  at  an  advance  of  fifty  per 
cent  on  their  cost,  and  many  were  the  complaints.  Tiie  .store-keeper, 
rivich  Lupoid,  who  had  never  been  regarded  as  trustworthy,  w.is  finally 
detected  in  extortion,  and  removed  from  his  position.  The  first  liquor 
ever  made  in  this  country  was  produced  from  a  private  still  on  St^iten 
Island,  erected  by  Kieft  in  1(14(1,  aiid  run  by  AVilleiu  liemlritk.'^en,  for 
twenty-five  guilders  per  month. 


[n  the  early  part  of  the  year  1G41,  great  excitement  w 


as  oc- 


1641. 


casioned  by  the  intelligence  that  7i  murder  had  been  committed 
near  the  fort.  Six  of  the  company's  slaves  had  killed  one  of  their  fel- 
low-negroes. There  was  no  evidence  against  them;  and  so  torture,  the 
common  expedient  of  the  Dutch  law  in  such  cases,  was  resorted  to  for 
the  purpose  of  extorting  self-accusation.  To  avoid  this  terrible  engine 
the  negi'oes  confessed  they  had  all  jointly  committed  the  deed.  The 
court  was  in  a  dilemma.  Laborers  were  scarce,  and  six  were  too  many 
to  lose.  Lots  were  drawn,  in  order  to  determine  which  should  be  exe- 
cuted ;  for  justice  could  not  be  defrauded.  The  lot  fell  on  a  stalwart 
fello\v,  who  was  called  "  the  giant,"  and  he  was  sentenced  to  be  hanged. 
January  24th  was  the  great  day  appointed  for  his  execiition,  and  the 
whole  community  turned  out  to  witness  the  terrible  scene.  He  was 
placed  on  a  ladder  in  the  fort,  with  two  strong  halters  about  his  neck. 
The  iatal  signal  was  given,  the  ladder  pulled  from  under  him,  when  both 
ropes  broke,  and  the  uegi-o  fell  to  tlie  ground.  The  bystanders  cried  so 
loudly  for  pardon  that  the  governor  granted  the  cul])rit  his  life,  \inder  a 
pledge  of  future  good  conduct. 

Kieft  was  constantlv  issuin"'  new  municiiial   re-fulations,  and 

^  '  "^  Apnlll. 

there  was  great  need.     We  find,  under  date  of  April   11th,  one 
by  which  "  the  tapping  of  beer  during  divine  service,  and  after  one  o'clock 
at  night,"  was  forbidden ;  whereat  the  Dutch  were  as  much  exercised  as 
their  German  cousins  have  been  in  later  times.     He  also  took  measures 
to  prevent  the  deterioration  of  the  currency,  which  was  in  a  mixed  .state. 


96  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

The  coins  of  Europe  were  rarely  seen  here.  Wampuiu  was  in  use,  but 
April  18.  had  no  standard  value,  until  he  fixed  it  by  a  law.  To  promote 
Sept.  6.  agricidture,  the  governor  established  two  fairs  to  be  held  annu- 
ally ;  one  of  cattle  on  the  loth  of  October,  and  one  of  hogs  on  the  1st 
of  November. 

In  March  of  that  year,  Myndert  Myndertsen  Van  der  Horst  secured  a 
plantation,  about  an  hour's  walk  from  Vriesendael,  where  De  Vries  was 
busy  putting  up  buildings,  planning  orchards  and  gardens,  and  making 
his  property  singularly  attractive.  It  extended  north  from  Newark  Bay 
towards  Tappaen,  including  the  valley  of  the  Hackinsack  Eiver ;  the 
headquarters  of  the  settlement  being  only  five  or  six  hundred  paces  from 
the  village  of  the  Hackinsack  Indians.^  Van  der  Horst 's  people  immedi- 
ately erected  a  small  fort,  to  be  garrisoned  by  a  few  soldiers.  In  Au- 
gust, Cornells  Melyn  returned  to  New  Amsterdam  with  a  fuU-fledged 
grant  from  the  West  India  Comjiany  to  settle  on  Staten  Island.  This 
astonished  De  Vries,  who  knew  that  the  company  was  aware  of  his  own 
purchase  of  the  whole  of  that  property.  Kieft,  who  had  his  distillery 
and  a  buckskin  manufactory  already  there,  persuaded  the  liberal-minded 
patroon  to  permit  Melyn  to  establish  a  plantation  near  the  Narrows,  and 
then  conferred  upon  the  spirited  Belgian  a  formal  patent  as  patroon  over 
all  the  island  not  reserved  by  De  Vries.  A  small  redoubt  was  immedi- 
ately erected  upon  the  eastern  headland,  where  a  flag  was  raised  when- 
ever a  vessel  arrived  in  the  lower  bay.  This  is  the  first  record  of  a  marine 
telegraph  in  New  York  Harbor.^ 

'  The  name  of  the  Indian  tribe  was  Achkinkcshacky,  wliich  was  corrupted  by  tlie  early 
settlers  into  Hackinsack. 

De   Vries,  11  N.  Y.  H.  S.  Col.,  I.  264.     O'Callaghan  I.  228,   229.     Brodhcad,  I.  314. 
Albany  Records. 


First  Marine  Telegraph. 


IM)J.t.\'    VHXaHASCK.  97 


CFIAPTKR    VII. 


INDIAN   VENGEANCE. 

Ini>i.\n  Vk.nckamk.  — 'I'mk  I'ikst  rorri.Ai:  Asnimmiy.  —  Kikki's    Disai'pointmest. — 

DHATU  OF  rKTKK  MiM.KT.  —  EkFOU  r  UF  IIIK  "  TwKI.VK  MeN  "  To  IssTnTTK  RE- 
FORMS. —  The  Governor's  Proclamation.  —  The  Dutch  and  Enc.lish.  —  Discrs- 
sioN  OF  THE  Boundary  Question. — A  Flaw  in  the  Title  to  New  Netherlanh. 
—  Religious  P?:rsecution. — The  First  Tavern. —The  New  CHtitrH.  — Ralsino 
Money  at  a  Weddino.  — The  First  Enolish  Secretary.  —  "The  Year  of 
Blood."  —  The  Blood  Atonement. — The  Shrovetide  Dinner-Party. — The 
Inhuman  Massacre.  —  General  Uprising  of  the  Indians.  —  Overtures  for 
Peace.  — The  Hollow  Truce.  — The  Second  Representative  Body.  — A  Page 
of  Horrors. 


BY    this  time  the  effects  of   Kieft's  imprudences  with  the  Indians 
were   fast   becoming  apparent.     The    Raritans   cajoled    him    with 
peaceful  messages,  but  suddenly  attacked  De  Vries's  un])r()tected  ])lanta- 
tion  on  Staten  Island,  killed  four  of  his  planters  and  burned  all  i64i. 
his  buildings.     FoUy  begets  folly.     The  governor  no  sooner  heard   June, 
how  the  Raritans  had  avenged  their  wrongs,  than  he  determined  upon 
their  extermination.     In  an  ostentatious  proclamation,  he  offered 
a    bounty  of  ten  fathoms  of   wampum  for  the  head  of  any  or       ^ 
every  one  of  the  tribe,  and  twenty  fatlioms  for  each  head  of  the  actual 
murderers.     Some  of  the  River  Indians  were   incited  by  these  bounties, 
and  attacked  the  Raritans.     In  the  autumn,  a  chief  of  the  Haverstraw 
tribe  came  one  day  in  triumph  to  the  fort,  and  exhibited  a  dead  man's 
hand  hanging  on  a  stick,  which  he  presented  to  Kieft,  as  the  hand  of 
the  chief  who  had  killed  the  Dutch. 

Meanwhile  blood  had  been  shed  on  the  island  of  Manliattan. 
An  old  man,  Claes  Smits,  lived  in  a  little  house  near  Dental  Bay, 
and  worked  at  the  trade  of  a  wheelwright.     The  nephew  of  the  Indian 
who  was  murdered  near  the  Fresli  "Water  Pond  during  Minuet's  adminis- 
tration, and  who,  as  a  boy,  hatl  sworn  vengeance,  went  to  the  old  man's 
house  under  pretense  of  bartering   some    beaver-skins  for   duffels,  and. 


98 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY   OF  XEW   YORK. 


■while  the  unsuspecting  Smits  was  stooping  over  the  great  chest  in  wliich 
he  kept  his  goods,  the  savage  seized  an  ax  and  killed  him  with  one  blow, 
then  plunderetl  the  house  and  escaped.  Kieft  sent  at  once  to  the  chief 
of  the  Weekquaesgeek  tribe,  to  demand  satisfaction.  The  latter  refused 
to  give  up  the  criminal,  on  the  ground  that  he  was  but  an  avenger,  after 
the  manner  of  his  race.  Some  soldiers  were  then  sent  out  from 
"^  '  the  fort  to  arrest  the  assassin,  but  they  could  not  find  him. 
Kieft  was  exasperated  and  would  have  openly  declared  war,  careless 
of  probable  consequences,  had  not  some  of  his  friends  told  him  of  the 

state     of     public         

feeling,  and  how 
the  people  ac- 
cused him  of 
aiming  to  provoke 
hostilities  on  pur- 
pose to  make  "  a 
wrong  reckoning 
with  the  com- 
p  any";  eve  n 
charging  him  with 
personal  coward- 
ice, for  they  said, 
"  He     knew    full 

well  that  he  could  ''"*<='^  Architecture  in  New  Amsterdam 

secure  his  own  life  in  a  good  fort."  He,  therefore,  paused  in  his  mad 
course,  and  summoned  together  all  the  patroons,  masters,  and 
*''^'  ^'  heads  of  families  in  the  vicinity  to  the  fort,  "  to  resolve  upon 
something  of  the  first  necessity."  This  was  the  pioneei-  of  popular  meet- 
ings iipon  Manhattan  Island. 

"Wlien  the  people  assembled  on  the  day  appointed,  the  governor 


Aug.  28. 


submitted  three  propositions. 


Ist.  "Was  it  not  just  that  the  recent  murder  of  Claes  Sinits  should  be 
avenged  by  destroying  the  Indian  village  Mdiere  the  murderer  belonged,  if  he  was 
not  given  up  1 " 

2d.   "  In  what  luanner  ought  this  to  be  accoiiipHshcil  I" 

3d.   "By  wliom  .slioidd  it  be  effected?" 

The  assembly,  after  some  preamble  and  a  grave  discussion  of  the  ques- 
tions, chose  twelve  men  out  of  their  number  to  co-operate  with  the  gov- 
ernor and  council.  The  names  of  this  first  representative  body  Avere  : 
Captain  De  Vries,  Jacques  Bentyn,  Jan    Dum,  Hench'ick   Jansen,  Jacob 


KIIHTS    DlSM-rolXTMHST.  99 

Stollrlscu.    MiiiMi    Ailiiiiciiscn,   AImuiii    Mnl,.|i;icr,    K iv.l.-ihk    I.uM.tIscii. 

Jdcliciii    I'iclcrscii,  (mthI,   I  )ir(kscii,  (Jcnr^'c  IiiijHiclic I    Alptiiin    Thrirk. 

\)v  N'lics  wiis  chosen  invsitlciit.  Tlicir  cmiiiscl  \\;is  Im  |pri-scr\  iii;^  piMic 
with  the  Indiiiiis  ns  Ion-  as  |...ssil,h.  Tlirv  Kchcvr,!  ihr  iminlcr  shni.l.l 
lie  iivcni^vd,  Init  thought  "(ind  iiiid  the  i>|i]H.iiiiiiil  \  "  cm^^lil  to  he  cohmiI- 
crcd.  The  Dutch  were  sculteicd  ;dl  alioiit  the  coinilrv,  and  t  lie  cutlh' 
wcic  ill  the  woods.  It  was  iiii|iolitic  to  Ljet  in\(ilv(id  in  war  witli  t  he 
Indians,  while  there  was  no  iide(|uate  means  of  (U-i'eusi!.  Thev,  tlieieron-. 
lecoinniendcd  that  the  ^oNcinor  send  anaiii,  yea,  lor  the  second  or  third 
time,  until  he  ohtaiiu'd  the  snrii'iider  of  the  inisoiier,  that  he  mi;,;ht  |inn- 
isli  him  as  he  should  sec  lit. 

Kiet't  Avas  greatly  dis.satistit'd  with  tiieir  verdict,  ili-  had  not  willingly 
made  this  concession  to  i)o]uilar  rights,  Imt  rather  l>y  force  of  circum- 
stances, and  to  serve  as  "a  cloak  of  protection  from  resi)onsibility  or 
censure";  for  he  fully  iiitendc(l  to  attack  the  Indians,  and  (-hafed  under 
the  hindrance  which  was  thus  put  in  his  way.  Jiefore  winter  set 
in  he  called  the  "  Twelve  Men  "  together  again,  to  confer  upon  the 
.same  sul>ji'ct,  and  again  they  counseled  patience.  De  Vries  was  opposed 
to  war  with  the  Indians  under  any  circmnstances.  He  reminded 
the  governor  of  the  sentiments  of  the  Amsterdam  Chamber,  whose 
order^had  been  distinctly  expressed,  "  Keep  peace  with  the  savages  " ; 
and  the  uneasy  and  indiscreet  chief  magistrate  was  silenced,  but  not 
convinced. 

During  the  spring  ])ri()r  to  these  events,  the  English  at  New 

^  '         "    '  ^  April  1. 

Haven  had  made  an  eflbrt  to  a])pro])riate  a  portion  of  the  Dutch 
territory  on  the  South  River.  Some  fifty  ftimilies  in  all  had  Iiecome 
dissatisfied  with  their  Connecticut  River  homes,  on  account  of  the  sick- 
liness of  the  climate,  and  with  their  effects  sailed,  about  the  first  of  April, 
in  a  ship  belonging  to  George  Lambertsen,  a  New  Haven  merchant,  and 
put  into  New  Amsterdam  on  their  way  South  to  commuuicate  their 
designs  to  the  Dutch  authorities.  Kieft  warned  them  not  to  build  or 
])lant  within  the  limits  of  New  Netherland,  and  they  })romised  to  select 
.some  spot  over  which  the  States-General  had  no  authority.  They  were 
allowed  to  go  on  their  way,  and  shortly  after  ibrtified  a  ])0st  on  the 
Si'huylkill. 

In    December,   news   came   of  the   death   of   Peter   Minuet,   who  had 
guarded  his  little  Swedish  colony  well  lor  three  yeai-s,  although 
they  had  once  or  twice  suffered  great  privations.     They  had  been 
reinforced  by  a  party  of  Dutch  from  Holland,  and  also  by  a  deputation 
of  Swedes,  who   purchased   additional   lauds   from    the   Indians,  and,  in 
token  of  the  sovereignty  of  their  iiueen,  set   u]i   "the  arms   and  crown 


100  HISTORY   OF   THE  CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

of  Sweedland."      Peter   Hollaendare,  a   Swede,  succeeded  to  the  chief 
government  after  the  death  of  Minuet. 

1642.  As  soon  as  the  rivers  were  fi-ozen  over,  Kieft  suiuinoued  the 
Jan.  21.  "  Twelve  Men "  into  council  the  third  time,  and  insisted  upon 
their  acceding  to  his  wishes  in  relation  to  the  Indians.  As  the  murderer 
had  not  been  given  up,  they  yielded,  though  reluctantly.  Their  assistance 
in  the  matter  was  promised  only  on  condition  that  the  governor  shoidd 
lead  the  expedition  in  person,  and  that  the  expenses  of  it,  and  the 
necessary  care  of  the  wounded  men  and  their  families  afterward,  should 
be  defrayed  by  the  company. 

During  the  same  session,  the  "  Twelve  Men  "  took  occasion  to  demand 
certain  reforms  in  the  government.  In  the  Fatherland,  domineering 
arrogance  was  restrained  by  the  system  of  rotation  in  office.  The 
seK-reliant  men  who  had  won  their  country  from  the  sea,  and  their  lib- 
erties from  the  relaxing  grasp  of  feudal  prerogative,  knew  that  they 
could  govern  themselves,  and  they  did  govern  themselves.  The 
"  Twelve,"  who  now  sat  in  judgment,  were  of  the  same  stock,  distin- 
guished not  only  Ijy  talent,  but  by  local  experience ;  and  although  they 
had  voluntarily  pledged  themselves  to  submit  to  the  government  of  the 
West  India  Company,  they  l)elieved  it  to  have  been  more  by  neglect  than 
ill-will  that  such  a  conceited  little  potentate  had  been  placed  over  them, 
and  they  knew  him  to  be  unworthy  of  so  nmch  trust.  He  had  often  been 
heard  to  compare  himself  to  the  Prince  of  Orange,  as  above  the  law; 
but  the  grievance  which  caused  the  most  feeling  was  the  mock  council, 
which  in  reality  was  no  council  at  aU.  He  appointed  all  public  officers, 
except  such  as  came  with  connnissions  from  Holland,  made  laws,  imposed 
taxes,  levied  fines,  inflicted  penalties,  incorporated  towns,  and  could  affect 
the  price  of  any  man's  property  at  pleasure  by  changing  the  value  of 
wampum.  He  also  decided  all  civil  and  criminal  questions  without  the 
aid  of  jury,  and  settled  controversies  and  appeals  from  inferior  courts. 
The  memorial,  which  had  been  previously  prepared,  was  presented,  with 
all  due  deference,  to  the  governor.  It  called  for  an  addition  of  four  men 
to  the  council,  two  of  whom  should  be  chosen  each  year  from  the  "  Twelve 
Men"  elected  by  the  people,  and  demanded  that  judicial  proceedings 
should  be  had  only  before  a  full  board ;  that  the  militia  should  be  mus- 
tered annually ;  that  the  ])eople  should  have  the  same  privilege  as  in  Hol- 
land of  visiting  vessels  from  abroad,  and  the  right  to  trade  in  neighboring- 
places  subject  to  the  duties  of  the  com])any ;  that  the  English  should  be 

prohibited  from  selling  cattle  within  the  province,  and  that  the  value  of 
the  currency  shoidd  be  considerably  increased. 

Kieft  wiis  confounded.     He  regretted  exceedingly  having  made   any 


THE  <;oyi-:iiX()n's  I'Iujclamatios.  lol 

sliow  of  piirliiiinciitarv  i^'ovcnuiiciit.  I5ut  Im  was  also  politic,  and  In; 
replied  to  the  a.sseiiil)ly  that  lie  expected  a  complete  council  in  one  of 
the  Hivst  ships  IVoni  Jlollaml,  and  ■graciously  acceded  to  all  the  other 
requirements,  without,  however,  rullillin^  a  sin<,di!  promise.  Then  he 
wound  up  the  meetiufj;  adroitly  hy  tellin^f  the  ;,'entlemen  that  they  had 
never  been  invested  with  j,n'ealer  powers  than  to  ^'ivi;  advi(!e  respecting; 
the  murder  of  Claes  Smits. 

A  short  time  afterward,  tiie  followini;  poster  ai)i)(;ared  in  various 

•^   '  '  '  Feb.  18 

places :  — 

"  Wlicreas,  The  people  have  at  our  request  commi.ssioncd  '  Twelve  Men '  to 
communicate  their  good  council  and  advice  conccruiug  tluj  murder  of  Cla&s 
Smits,  which  now  being  done,  wo  thank  them  for  the  trouble  they  have  taken, 
and  shall  make  use  of  their  written  advice,  with  ( Jod's  helj)  anil  fitting  time ; 
and  we  propose  no  more  meetings,  as  such  tend  to  dangerous  consequences,  and 
to  the  great  injury,  both  of  the  country  and  of  our  autliority  ;  —  wo,  therefore, 
do  hereby  forbid  the  calling  of  i\i\j  assemblies  c)r  meetings,  of  whatever  sort, 
without  our  express  order,  on  pain  of  punishment  for  disobedience. 

"  Done  in  Fort  Amsterdam,  February  I81I1,  1042,  in  New  Xetherland. 

"  WlLHEL.M     KlKFT." 

Having  disposed  of  the  "  Twelve  Men,"  Kieft  made  prejjarations 
and  dispatched  a  party  of  eighty  soldiers,  under  Ensign  Van 
Dyck,  against  the  Weekcpiaesgeeks,  with  orders  to  exterminate  them  by 
fire  and  sword.  The  guide  professed  to  know  the  way  to  the  Indian 
village,  but  he  lost  the  track  just  at  ni'^htfall ;  and,  as  they  had  crossed 
the  Harlem  River  with  no  little  difficulty,  the  commanding  officer  finally 
lost  his  temper,  and  the  twin  losses  resulted  in  an  overwhelming  gain, 
for  the  party  retm-ned  to  New  Amsterdam  innocent  of  the  death  of  a 
single  Indian.  The  mortifying  failure  enraged  the  governor ;  but  the 
Indians  were  quick  to  discover  the  trail  of  the  soldiers,  and  were  so  much 
alarmed  as  to  come  at  once  to  New  Amsterdam  and  sue  for  iieace. 

„  March  28. 

A  treaty  was  concluded  with  them,  one  of   the  stipulations  of 
which  was  the  surrender  of  the  murderer,  —  a  promise  which,  either  from 
unwillingness  or  inability,  was  never  fulfilled. 

This  treaty  was  scarcely  concluded  before  rumors  were  afloat  that  the 
Connecticut  savages  were  planning  to  destroy  the  colonists  throughout 
New  England.  Hartford  and  New  Haven  concerted  measures  of  defence, 
and  anxiety  and  alarm  were  everywhere  felt.  Under  these  circumstances 
the  settlers  at  Greenwich  thought  it  wise,  as  a  measure  of  self- 
protection,  to  submit  themselves  to  the  government  of  New  Neth- 
erland;  and  Captain  Patrick  and  his  friends,  after  swearing  allegiance, 
were  invested  with  all  the  rights  of  patroons.     But  the  difficulties  be- 


102  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

tween  the  Dutch  garrison  and  the  English  at  Hartford  contiuueil ;  and 
Kieft,  finding  that  his  protests  were  of  no  effect,  prohibited  all  traile 
and  commercial  intercourse  with  the  Hartford  people.  He  soon 
after  heard  that  the  New  Haven  party,  who  went  to  the  South 

May  15.  r       j  > 

Eiver,  were  living  upon  the  company's  lands  without  his  permis- 
sion.   He  immediately  dispatched  two  sloops  with  a  strong  force  to  require 
them  to  withdraw,  and,  in  case  of  refusal,  to  arrest  them  and  de- 

Mav  22 

'  stroy  their  tratUng-posts.  These  orders  were  executed  so  promptly 
that  the  English  had  not  two  hours  to  prepare  for  their  departure,  and 
they  were  brought  with  their  goods  to  New  Netherland,  and  afterwards 
landed  at  New  Haven.  The  excitement  on  the  subject  there  Avas  intense ; 
particularly  after  Lambertsen,  who  was  considered  by  the  Dutch  as  the 
jirincipal  instigator  of  the  injury  to  their  trade,  had  been  compelled, 
while  passing  New  Amsterdam,  to  give  an  account  of  what  pel- 
'  tries  he  had  obtained  on  the  Delaware,  and  to  pay  duties  on 
them  all. 

The  Hai'tford  authorities  found  the  prohibition  against  intercourse  with 
the  New  Amsterijlam  settlers  very  inconvenient,  to  say  the  least, 
'  and  finally  sent  a  committee  to  confer  with  Kieft  on  the  subject. 
He  received  them  pompously,  conceded  nothing,  talked  about  the  an- 
tiquity of  the  Dutch  title  to  the  country  on  the  Connecticut  Eiver,  and 
graciously  offered  to  lease  to  them  a  portion  of  the  lands  there,  on 
certain  terms.  The  ambassadors  went  home  to  report,  having  accom- 
plished no  part  of  their  mission.  Both  the  Hartford  and  the  New 
Haven  people  were  more  incensed  than  ever,  and  vented  their  annoyance 
upon  every  Dutch  man  or  woman  who  came  in  their  way.  The  agents 
from  New  England  who  went  to  London  about  that  time  brought  the 
subject  into  general  notice  there,  and  it  was  discussed  with  no  little 
acrimony  by  the  courtiers  of  Charles  I.  Lord  Say  told  the  Dutch  Min- 
ister that  the  conduct  of  the  New-Netherlanders  was  haughty  and  unbear- 
able in  the  extreme,  and  dropped  a  few  meaning  hints  in  regard  to  their 
being  forcibly  ejected  from  the  Connecticut  Valley,  if  the  difliculties  were 
not  shortly  arranged.  The  Dutch  IMinister  wrote  to  his  government ;  the 
States-General  took  the  matter  up,  and  much  bitterness  appears  in  the 
subsequent  correspondence,  although,  as  in  previous  instances,  the  ques- 
tion was  left  unsettled. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that,  ^diile  the  Dutch  in  New  Netherland  were  at 
this  time  so  few  in  proportion  to  their  wide  and  fine  territory,  the 
English  had  spread  themselves  over  a  great  part  of  New  England,  and 
were,  to  all  outward  appearances,  far  the  more  prosperous.  In  natural 
advantages    New   Netherland    immeasurably   outrivaled   New   England, 


DfSCf'SSfOX    OF    77/ A"    nol' .\  DM!  )     <,H' I'.STIOS.  lO.'. 

iiiid  tlu>  (lill'tTiMici"  ill  tlif  ino^'ifss  .if  tlic  t\V(t  (•..luiiics  iiiiiy  l»-  lr;irc.| 
(liivctly  to  the  wiinl  of  wisdom  liy  wliicli  tin-  slah'siiii'ii  iit  tlic  ll;i;,'iir 
iMidowcd  11  coiiiincrciid  (•(ir|ionilioii  witli  tlic  iiiaiiitt'iiiiiicf  of  ii  df|iciid- 
cnc.y  lor  their  own  iniiteiial  j,'ain.  New  Kiij^Iaiid  was  roiindwi  in  luli-^'ious 
IHTst'cution.  As  it  couhl  contrilaite  lilth-  resouico  to  tlic  iHothcr-coiiii- 
try,  under  any  circmnstaiiccs,  it  was  allowed  to  work  out  its  own  romlii- 
nalions  of  policy  in  ('liurch  and  Stale.  'i"he  iiieie  laels  ol  a  colonial 
condition  tend  to  entail  the  same  species  of  sulijeetion  which  ordiimiily 
ap])ertiiins  to  inlancy  in  a  family  ;  Imt  the  New  Hn^dand  c.oh>ny  stands 
out  exceptional  in  history,  as  having  elicited  no  particular  interest  in  any 
(piailer  of  the  Old  World  as  to  its  jjossihie  future  value,  and  religiou.s 
(controversies  and  reliuimis  education  o(cu|)ied  a  i-ea<liii^  poinilation  who 
were  content  with  a  hare  livinu,  ami  stood  (|uite  aloof  IVoin  mercantile 
specuLitions.  On  the  other  hand,  New  Netherland  was  treated  solely 
as  an  investment  for  the  eventual  accumulation  of  wealth  at  Innue, 
while  at  the  same  time  the  enormous  inono[)oly  of  the  West  India 
Company  comprehended  interests  in  comj)aiison  with  which  the  im- 
mediat(^  affairs  of  a  little  State  were  esteemed  insi<j;niKcant. 

When  the  New-Englanders  crossed  the  supposed  Ixjundary  lines,  the 
Dutch  in  power  wondered  why  their  imjiotent  protests  were  unheeded. 
Those  protests  were  based  iqjon  thi'  suj)posed  right  of  the  West  India 
Cojupany  to  the  territory  which  they  claimed,  and  the  quarrels  thus  en- 
geuilered  produced  some  interesting  state  pa])ei's.  Later,  John  De  Witt 
made  the  most  strenuous  eflorts  to  establish  a  good  understanding  with 
Oliver  Cromwell,  and  sent  some  of  his  al)lest  diplomatists  to  the  Protec- 
tor's court.  The  subject  of  the  boundary  line  of  New  Netherland  at- 
tracted mucli  attention.  In  the  several  documents  which  were  dr.iwn 
up  by  the  West  India  Company  to  substantiate  their  rights,  the  principal 
historical  statements  were  audacious  fictions,  and  the  Avriter  of  them  -was 
t'-vidently  aware  that  there  was  a  flaw  in  the  Dutch  title,  and  that,  in  a 
court  of  law,  not  a  foot  of  the  vast  territory  could  lie  held  as  a  bona  fide 
possession.  The  Dutch  ministers  to  England  must  have  entertained  sim- 
ilar views,  judging  from  the  gingerly  care  with  which  they  handled  the 
delicate  and  perplexing  question. 

As  the  New  England  settlements  grew  more  rapidly,  .and  their  in- 
stitutions received  more  attenti(in  from  the  people  than  those  of  New 
Xi'therland,  so  also  did  the  spirit  of  intolerance  take  root  among  them, 
until  they  became  the  most  relentless  iiersecutoi-s  of  the  age.  "  The 
arm  of  the  civil  government,"  says  Judge  Story,  "  w.is  constantly  em- 
ployed in  support  of  the  denunciations  of  the  Church,  and,  without  its 
forms,  the  Inquisition  existed  in  substance,  with  a  full  share  of  its  terrors 


104  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

and  its  violence."  Many  important  families  were  driven  by  this  means 
into  finding  homes  elsewhere ;  and  not  a  few,  perceiving  the  larger  liberty 
of  opinion  which  would  be  vouchsafed  in  the  Dutch  dominion,  made 
application  to  Kieft,  and  were  welcomed  right  heartily,  being  required 
only  to  take  the  same  oath  of  allegiance  as  the  Dutch  subjects.  Roger 
Williams,  a  promising  young  minister,  whose  ideas  of  religious  liberty 
shocked  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  to  such  an  extent  that  they 
sentenced  him  to  perpetual  exile,  went  into  the  wilderness  of  Rhode 
Island  and  commenced  the  settlement  of  that  State.  That  was  as  early 
as  1635.  Others  were  banished  through  the  workings  of  the  same  pe- 
culiar ecclesiastical  system.  Annie  Hutchinson,  who  was  a  lady  of  rare 
cultivation,  and  styled  by  her  contemporaries  "a  masterpiece  of  wit 
and  wisdom,"  was  accused  of  "  weakening  the  hands  and  hearts  of  the 
people  towards  the  ministers,"  because  she  maintained  the  "paramount 
authority  of  private  judgment."  She  was  worried  by  her  clerical  exam- 
iners for  several  hours,  although  the  verdict  had  evidently  been  agreed 
upon  before  the  session  commenced,  and  at  last  she  was  declared  "  unfit 
for  society,"  and  ordered  to  depart  from  the  province.  She  went,  at  first, 
to  Rhode  Island,  accompanied  l)y  quite  a  number  of  I'amilies  of  personal 
friends,  and  persons  of  the  same  phase  of  religious  belief.  But  fearing 
the  implacable  vengeance  of  Massachusetts  would  reach  her  even  there, 
she  removed  to  New  Netherland  in  1642,  selecting  for  her  residence 
the  point  now  known  as  Pelham  Neck,  near  New  Rochelle,  which  re- 
ceived the  name  of  "  Annie's  Hoeck."  ^  Near  by  her  settled  John  Throg- 
morton  and  thirty-five  English  families.  Kieft  granted  them  all  the 
franchises  which  the  charter  of  1640  allowed,  with  freedom  to  worship 
God  in  the  manner  which  suited  them  best. 

The  terms  were  so  agreeable  that  a  large  emigration  in  the  same  direc- 
tion would  have  speedily  set  in,  had  not  the  General  Court  of  Massa- 
chusetts taken  alarm,  and  sought  to  dissuade  their  own  citizens  from 
seeking  thus  to  strengthen  "  their  doubtful  Dutch  neighbors."  But  they 
went  on  with  their  political  and  moral  and  religious  instruction,  acting 
most  self-complacently  on  the  conviction  that  their  system  of  teaching 
was  the  very  best  in  the  world,  and  their  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures 
the  one  and  only  trae  way  to  Heaven. 

When,  at  rare  intervals,  some  bold  progressionist  tried  to  open  the  eyes 
of  the  people  to  the  pretenses  of  pompous  ignorance  masked  in  the  guise 
of  scholarship  and  sanctity,  or  to  promulgate  some  new  tenet  or  article  of 
faith,  they  were  stricken  so  quickly  that  the  places  that  had  known 
them  knew  them  not  much  longer.     Rev.  Francis  Doughty  was  dragged 

1  Hoeck  is  a  Dutch  word  signifying  ^(wVi/.     It  is  sometimes  spelt  Ho<!k. 


77/ A'    Fli:ST    T.WKHy.  1()5 

IVoin  ;iii  a.ssi'iiil)ly  ;il  Coliassct  for  venturing'  to  say  in  Iiis  sfriiKHi  llial 
"  Aliniliain's  children  should  huvo  been  bapti/.cd."  A  lan^'c  ninnlu-r  of 
liis  iVicnds  detennined  to  join  him  on  a  ])il^'rinia<j;e  to  Now  Ncthi-rland. 
'riicy  liought  more  than  tJiirteen  thousand  acres  at  Newtown,  b»n;; 
island,  near  where  a  nundter  of  })er3ons  from  Lynn  and  Ipswich  iiad 
settled  a  short  time  hcforc.  For  this  lar<,'e  landed  jtroperty  Kieft 
<,n-anted  them  an  absolute  ground-brief,  and  alforded  every  facility  in 
his  power  for  the  erection  oi'  substantial  houses  and  iht!  proper  cultiva- 
tion of  the  soil. 

These  accessions  to  the  poi)ulati()n  of  New  Netherland  were  of  marked 
value  to  the  prosperity  of  the  province.  Hut  there  were  other 
arrivals  about  the  same  time  which  were  less  to  be  ilesired. 
A  great  number  of  fugitive  servants,  both  from  New  England  and 
Virginia,  flocked  into  New  Amsterdam,  trying  to  get  emi)loyment. 
They  were  full  of  mischief,  idle,  indolent,  and  dishonest,  and  occasioned 
great  trouble  and  complaint  among  the  people.  Kieft  found  it  neces- 
sary to  issue  new  police  regulations,  one  of  which  was  to  forbid  any 
family  giving  to  strangers  more  than  one  meal,  or  more  than  one  night's 
lodging,  without  first  sending  notice  of  the  same  to  the  governor. 

It  woidd  seem  that  visitors  had  hitherto  been  entertained  by  the 
citizens.  Noteworthy  persons  had  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  the  gov- 
ernor himself.  The  growth  of  the  town,  and  the  increasing  number  of 
travelers,  rendered  this  a  great  inconvenience.  The  subject  of  building 
a  public  house  had  been  for  some  time  agitated,  and  Kieft  finally  con- 
cluded to  erect  it  at  the  company's  expense.  It  was  completed  this 
year,  a  great  clumsy  stone  tavern,  and  it  was  located  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  Pearl  Street  and  Coenties  Slip,  fronting  the  East  Eiver. 

A  short  time  after  this  famous  old  building  had  been  put  in  use. 
Captain  T)e  Vries  was  one  day  dining  with  the  governor,  as  was  his 
custom  when  he  happened  to  be  at  the  tort,  and,  in  the  course  of  con- 
versation, the  host  congratulated  himself  upon  the  architecture  and 
workmanship  of  the  new  edifice.  De  Vries  said  it  Avas,  indeed,  an  ex- 
cellent thing  for  travelers,  but  that  the  next  thing  they  want-ed  was  a 
decent  church  for  the  people.  In  New  England,  the  first  thing  they  did, 
after  building  some  dwellings,  was  to  erect  a  fine  church ;  and  now, 
when  the  English  passed  New  Amsterdam,  they  only  saw  a  "  mean 
barn,"  in  which  the  Dutch  worshiped  their  Creator.  The  West  India 
Company  had  the  credit  of  being  very  zealous  in  protecting  the  Reformed 
Church  ^  against  Spanish  tyranny,  and  there  was  no  reason  why  their 
settlements  should  not  be  supplied  with  church  edifices.      There  were 

1  Calvinist. 


106  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 


Stadthuys. 

materials  enough  at  Laud,  —  tine  oak  timber  and  gcxxl  building  stone, 
and  lime  made  from  oyster-shells,  far  better  than  the  lime  in  Holland. 

Kieft  was  interested,  and  asked  who  would  like  to  superintend  such  a 
building  ? 

De  Vries  told  him  that  no  doubt  some  of  the  friends  of  the  Reformed 
religion  could  be  found  who  would  be  only  too  glad  to  do  so. 

Kieft,  smiling,  told  De  Vries  that  he  suj^posed  lie  was  one  of  them, 
and  asked  if  he  would  contribute  one  hundred  guilders  to  the  enterprise. 

De  Vries  very  quickly  responded  in  the  affirmative ;  and  then  they 
decided  that  Jochem  Pietersen  Ku^^ter,  who  was  a  good  Calvinist,  and 
had  plenty  of  workmen,  woiild  be  the  most  suitable  person  to  jjrocure 
timber,  and  Jan  Jansen  Dam,  Avho  lived  near  the  fort,  should  be  the 
fourth  one  of  the  consistory  to  superintend  the  building.  The  goA^ernor 
promised  to  furnish  a  few  thousand  guilders  of  the  com]jany's  money, 
and  the  rest  was  to  be  raised  by  private  subscription. 

A  few  days  afterward,  the  daughter  of  Dominie  Bogardus  was  mar- 
ried, and,  at  the  wedding  ])arty,  the  governor  and  Captain  De 
Vries,  thinking  it  a  rare  opjMjrtunity  to  raise  the  requisite  amount 


of  funds,  took  advantage  of  the  good-humor  of  the  guests,  and 
round  the  paper,  with  their  own   names  heading  the  list.     As  each  one 
present  desired  to  appear  well  in  the  eyes  of  his  neighbor,  a  handsome 


THE    STORY    OF    THE    GREAT    METROPOLIS 


HE  HlSJOF^Y  0|=THE  CiTY  Of  NeW  YoF^K, 

By  Mrs.  MARTHA  J.  LAMB. 


This  work  has  been  long  anticipated  with  much  interest.  Its  preparation  has  occupied  a  period  of  over  ten  year 
In  scope  it  is  a  complete  literary  picture  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  our  great  American  metropolis.  It  is  commende 
by  scholars  to  all  classes  of  readers  as  "a  piece  of  choice  tapestry  that  will  hold  its  color  and  retain  its  intrinsic  wort 
amid  the  living  literature  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  many  of  the  popular  books  of  to-day  shall  long  ago  have  bee 
dead." 

The  well-known  reputation  of  Mrs.  LAMB  for  accuracy  in  historical  detail,  as  well  as  literary  skill  in  weavin 
together  and  condensing  facts,  added  to  fine  perceptions  and  a  graceful  and  felicitous  charm  of  expression  giving  vitalil 
and  sparkle  to  every  pictured  thought,  is  a  guarantee  that  this  valuable  work  will  be  even  more  than  it  promises,  an 
it  cannot  (ail  to  take  deservedly  high  rank  among  standard  authorities. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  volume  Mrs.  LAMB  sketches,  in  outline,  the  condition  of  the  Old  World  prior  to  th 
settlement  of  the  New,  and  then  proceeds  to  give  a  careful  analysis  of  the  two  great  Commercial  Corporations  which  mad 
such  a  noise  all  over  Christendom  about  that  time,  and  to  which  New  York  owes  its  origin.  Her  gifted  pen  removes  muc 
of  the  dimness  and  dullness  with  which  the  early  settlement  on  Manhattan  Island  has  hitherto  been  obscured  ;  an 
the  narrative  widens  in  interest  as  the  little  colony  advances.  Indian  wars,  the  birth  of  the  city,  its  various  rulers,  ii 
subjugation  by  the  English,  its  after  vicissitudes,  the  Revolution  of  i68g — with  its  causes  and  effects — political  disturt 
ances  and  the  continuous  chain  of  events  which  culminated  in  the  American  Revolution,  are  all  deltly  woven  into 
connected  story  as  fresh  and  readable  as  a  work  of  fiction.  From  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  in  1776,  the  authc 
gathers  up  the  threads,  and  gives  an  accurate,  artistic,  and  comprehensive  account  of  the  City,  in  its  successive  phase 
of  development  during  the  century,  to  its  present  prominence  at  the  time  of  the  celebration  of  the  first  national  birtl 
day.     Prominent  persons  are  introduced  in  all  the  decades,  with  choice  bits  of  family  history  and  glimpses  of  social  lif 

Mrs.  LAMB  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  to  whose  unrivalled  archives  she  has  had  unr 
Strained  access.  Many  of  the  old  families  of  the  City  have  freely  furnished  information  specially  interesting  to  il 
present  generation,  since  it  throws  into  the  New  History  the  charms  of  revelation.  The  book  will  contain  maps  of  tl 
City  in  the  different  periods,  and  several  rare  portraits  from  original  paintings  which  have  never  before  been  engrave( 
The  illustrations  are  by  leading  artists  and  are  all  of  an  interesting  character. 


Notice     to      Subscribe  f^s  . 

Every  Subscriber  to  The  History  of  New  York  City  is  expected  to  take  the  whole  number  of  "  Parts  "  ( 
complete  the  work.  Subscribers  changing  their  residence  should  immediately  notify  the  Publishers,  or  their  Agei 
who  received  the  order,  and  give  NEW  ADDRESS  IN  FULL.  Payment  for  the  Parts  should  only  be  made  ( 
delivery,  NEVER  IN  ADVANCE. 

A  strict  observance  of  these  suggestions  will  save  Subscribers  annoyance  and  loss,  and  enable  the  Publishe 
to  fill  their  orders  in  a  prompt  and  advantageous  manner. 

A.  S.  BARNES  &  CO.,  Publishers,  111  and  113  ^Villiam  St.,  N.  ^ 

GENERAL     AGENCIES. 
CHICAGO,   BOSTON,   PHILADELPHIA,  WASHINGTON,   AND   NEW   ORLEANS. 


PART     3. J 


[Price  50  cents. 


^^ 


^  oftlie 


NETW  YORK,  and  CHIC^XGO 


SOXJD 


Cop>Tight,  T876,  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co. 


Ex  HihrtH 


SEYMOUR    DURST 


FORT     NEW    AMSTERDA^M. 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  hook 

Because  il  has  heen  said 
"Ever'thing  comes  ('  him  who  waits 

8-xcept  a  hatred  hook." 


TIIK   FIRST   ESaUSll  SECllKTAllY. 


107 


sum  was  contributtHl.  In  llio  iiioniiii^',  soinc.  Hiw  upiM-ulccl  to  the  ^'ov- 
eruor  for  permission  to  rucousidor  llici  luultcr  ;  l»uL  lii.s  ExcelltMK-y  would 
permit  no  names  to  be  erased  IVom  the  imiuT. 

An  arrangement  was  at  once  elVected  with  John  and  liichard 
Ogden,^  of  Stamford,  for  the  mason-work  of  a  stone  church,  sev- 
enty-two feet  long,  Hfty  wide,  and  sixteen  high,  at  one  thousand  dollars 
for  the  jol),  and  a  gratuity  of  forty  dollars  more  should  the  work   Iw 

satisfactory.  The  agreement  was 
signed  and  sealed  on  the  20th  of 
May.  The  church  was  to  ]>e  lo- 
i  alcd  in  the  fort,  that  it  might  not 
be  exposed  to  Indian  depreda- 
tions ;  although  many  olyected,  on 
the  ground  that  the  fort  was  over- 
crowded already.  The  walls  were 
soon  up,  and  the  roof  covered  Avith 
oak  shingles,  which,  from  exposure 
to  the  weather,  became  blue  like 
slate.  Kieft  caused  to  be  erected 
a  marble  slab  with  this  inscription :  — 


Inside  of  Fort,  with  G 


in  the  front  wa 


"Anno   Domini,  1642, 

WiLHELM    KlEFT   DiRECTEUR    GENERAL. 

Heeft  de  gemeente  desen  tempel  doen  bouwen." 

When  the  fort  was  demolished,  in  1787,  to  make  room  for  the  Govern- 
ment House,  this  slab  was  discovered  buried  in  the  earth,  and  was  re- 
moved to  the  belfry  of  the  old  Dutch  Church  in  Garden  Street,  where  it 
remained  until  the  burning  of  that  church,  in  1835,  when  it  totally  dis- 
appeared. 

It  was  now  becoming  necessary  to  observe  regularity  in  drawing 
boundary  and  division  lines ;  hence  Andries  Hudde  was  appointed  sur- 
veyor, with  a  salary  of  eighty  dollars  per  annum  and  a  few  additional 
fees.  The  first  record  of  the  sale  of  city  lots,  we  find  this  year.  There 
is  one  extant,  showing  that  Abraham  Van  SteenA\yck  sells  to  Anthony 
Van  Fees  a  lot  on  Bridge  Street,  thirty  feet  front  by  one  hundred  and  ten 
deep,  for  the  sum  of  nine  dollars  and  sixty  cents  !  ^ 

The  influx  into  the  Dutch  settlements  of  persons  who  spoke  only 
the  English  language  occasioned  no  little  embarrassment.     Kieft  himself 

1  These  Ogdens  were  the  ancestors  of  the  present  families  of  that  name  in  New  York  and 
New  Jersey.     All.  Rcc,  III.  31.     aCallaghan,  I.  261,  262.     N.  Y.  H.  S.  Col.,  II.  293. 
*  The  street  was  not  then  named. 


V 


108  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

could  speak  it  fluently,  but  many  of  bis  oflicers  did  not  understand  a 
word,  and  it  was  Anally  tbougbt  best  to  bave  an  official  interpreter. 
George  Baxter  received  tbe  appointment,  at  an  annual  salary  of  two  bun- 
dred  and  fifty  guilders. 

Meanwbile,  Adrian  Van  der  Donck,  a  lineal  descendant  of  Adrian  Van 
Bergen,  a  graduate  of  Leyden  University,  and  a  man  of  acknowledged 
scbolarsbip,  bad,  in  1641,  leased  tbe  westerly  baK  of  Castle  Island. 
He  was  appointed  sberiff  of  tbe  colony  at  Rensselaerswick,  and  spe- 
cially instructed  to  repress  tbe  spirit  of  lawlessness  wbicb  seemed  to 
pervade  tbat  district.  He  went  to  work  energetically.  He  made  it  bis 
first  business  to  induce  tbe  patroon  to  send  over  tbe  learned  clergyman, 
Dr.  Jobannes  Megapolensis,  "  for  tbe  edifying  improvement  of  tbe  inbabi- 
tants  and  Indians  tbereabouts."  Tbe  Amsterdam  Cbamber  approved  tbe 
call ;  tbe  reverend  gentleman  was  promised  a  new  cburcb  and  parsonage, 
and  a  small  tbeological  library,  togetber  witb  an  annual  salary  of  one 
tbousand  guilders.  A  number  of  famiUes  accompanied  bim  to  bis  new 
field  of  labor.  Tbey  arrived  at  New  Amsterdam  in  August,  1642. 
"  From  tbat  point  Van  Rensselaer  bad  requested  tbat  tbe  furtber 
transportation  of  tbe  party  sbould  be  left  entirely  to  tbe  advice  and  dis- 
cretion of  Kieft,  to  wbom  be  sent,  as  a  present  for  bis  trouble,  a  band- 
some  saddle  and  bridle.  To  obviate  as  mucb  as  possible  tbe  dangers  of 
life  among  tbe  Indians,  tbe  patroon  required  tbat  all  bis  colonists,  except 
the  farmers  and  tobacco-planters,  sbould  live  near  eacb  otber,  so  as  to 
form  a  cburcb  neigbborbood.  Sbips  sometimes  remained  at  Manhattan 
a  fortnight  before  news  of  their  arrival  reached  Rensselaerswick ;  but  in 
this  instance  prompt  measures  were  resorted  to,  and  by  tbe  11th  of 
the  month  the  names  of  the  new  settlers  bad  been  registered  at  their 
destination    by  Arendt  Van  Corlear,  tbe  conmiissary. 

It  was  about  the  same  time  tbat  intelligence  of  tbe  capture  of  some 
French  missionaries  by  the  Iroquois  reached  Fort  Orange.  With 
characteristic  Dutch  benevolence.  Van  Corlear  and  two  stout- 
hearted friends  went  on  horseback  to  tbe  Mohawk  country  to  attempt 
their  rescue.  Tbey  carried  presents,  which  were  thankfully  received  by 
tbe  gi'eat  warriors,  who  saluted  them  witb  musket-shots  from  each  of 
their  castles  as  tbey  approached,  fed  them  with  turkeys  during  their  stay, 
and  seemed  greatly  pleased  witb  their  visit.  Van  Corlear  invited  the 
chiefs  into  council,  and  urged  the  release  of  their  prisoners,  one  of  whom 
was  a  celebrated  Jesuit  scholar.  Their  reply  was,  "  We  shall  show  you 
every  friendship  in  our  power,  but  on  this  subject  we  shall  be  silent." 
Several  days  were  spent  to  no  purpose.  Six  hundred  guilders'  worth  of 
goods  were  offered  for  the  Frenchmen's  ransom,  and  coldly  refused.     Van 


Till-:    BLOOD    atom:. Ml'! XT.  10!) 

Coi'lt'iir's  fl(M|ii('iic(' t>iil_\  tliciti'd  IVdiii  llu!  liiiliiins  n  |iroiiii.s(!  not  lo  kill 
their  j)ri.s()iu;r8 ;  unci  tluii  tlic  lialllfd  (iiploinals  set  out  for  Kort  ()nin;,'u, 
condiu'li'd  hy  an  eniltassy  of  ten  anned  savages.  They  hail  hmdly  de- 
parted from  the  encaniiMuent,  when  the  restrained  braves  (  lamurcd  lor 
blood,  and  one  ol"  the  Frenehnien  was  struek  dead  with  a  tomahawk  ; 
bnt  the  life  of  Father  .laecpies  was  sj)ared,  altlujugh  his  siibse([uent  snf- 
ferings,  throughout  a  dreary  winter,  among  a  elass  of  vindietive  savages, 
who  hated  the  eross  and  reviled  his  holy  zeal,  were  most  intense. 

The  year  that  followed  was  emphatieally  "  a  year  of  blood."  It 
was  ushered  in  with  the  wildest  stories  of  a  general  war  l)y  the 
New  England  and  New  Netherland  Indiaus  against  the  English  and  the 
Dutch.  If  a  benighted  traveler  halloed  in  the  woods,  a  panic  was  im- 
mediately caused,  lest  savages  were  torturing  some  captive.  The  fireside 
gossips  contributed  greatly  to  the  general  anxiety  and  terror  by  accusing 
the  Indians  of  trying  to  poison  and  bewitch  those  in  authority.  Thought- 
ful men  censured  Kieft  severely  for  having  allowed  the  colonists  to  settle 
wherever  they  liked,  all  over  the  coinitry,  so  that  now  they  were  almost 
entirely  defenseless.  He  had  done  nothing  to  prejjare  them  for  war  ;  he 
bad  not  even  a  sufficient  stock  of  jxjwder  to  allow  each  colonist  a  half- 
pound,  if  it  should  be  required. 

And  war,  with  all  its  horrors,  was  on  the  wing.  It  came  soon, 
surely  and  swiftly.  Captain  De  Vries,  while  rambling  through 
the  woods  near  his  plantation  at  Vriesendael,  met  a  drunken  Indian. 
The  savage  stroked  the  patroon  over  bis  arms,  in  token  of  friendshi}),  and 
called  him  "a  good  chief,"  and  then  said  be  bad  come  from  Van  der 
Hoi-st's  place  at  Hackiusack,  wbere  they  had  sold  bim  brandy,  and  stolen 
bis  beaver  coat.  The  enraged  savage  vowed  a  bloody  revenge,  and  the 
peace-loving  De  Vries  tried  in  vain  to  soothe  him.  Before  night,  be  bad 
shot  Garret  Jansen  Van  Vorst,  who  was  thatching  the  roof  of  one  of 
Van  der  Horst's  bouses.  The  chiefs  of  the  Hackinsacks  and  Recka- 
wancks  hurried  to  Vriesendael  to  tell  the  news,  and  counsel  with  De 
Vries,  whom  they  held  in  the  highest  esteem  :  they  would  have  gone  to 
the  governor,  but  were  afraid  he  might  detain  them  as  prisoners.  De 
Vries,  however,  assured  them  that  the  latter  would  be  best,  and  accom- 
panied them  in  person  to  the  fort,  wbere  they  made  their  confession,  and 
offered  two  hundred  fathoms  of  wampum,  a  blood  atonement  of  money,  as 
a  purchase  for  peace.  This  universal  custom  among  the  Indians  of  North 
America  was  in  singular  accordance  with  the  usages  of  Greece :  — 

"  If  a  'brother  bleed, 
On  just  atonement  we  remit  the  ih-i'd  ; 
A  sire  the  .slaughter  of  the  son  forgives. 
The  price  of  blood  discharged,  the  murderer  lives." 


110  HISTORY   OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

The  chiefs  deplored  the  murder,  but  pleaded  for  the  murderer.  They 
told  Kieft  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  chief ;  that  brandy  should  not  have 
been  sold  him,  for  he  was  not  used  to  it,  and  it  crazed  him.  "  Even  your 
own  men,"  they  said,  "  get  drunk  and  fight  with  knives  ;  if  you  will  sell 
no  more  strong  drink  to  the  Indians,  you  will  have  no  more  murders,"  — 
an  early  warning  which  the  whites  would  have  done  well  to  observe,  even 
to  this  day.  Kieft  refused  to  accept  any  expiation  less  than  the  head  of 
the  fugitive,  and  the  Indians  would  not  bind  themselves  to  surrender 
him;  for  they  said  he  had  gone  two  days'  journey  away  among  the 
Taukitekes,  and  it  would  be  impossible  to  overtake  him.  The  governor 
immediately  sent  a  peremptory  message  to  Pacham,  the  chief  of  the  Tan- 
kitekes,  for  the  surrender  of  the  criminal. 

Before  the  demand  could  possibly  have  been  acceded  to,  under 

any  circumstances,  a  band  of  Mohawks  made  a  descent  upon  the 
Weekquaesgeek  and  Tappaen  tribes,  for  the  purpose  of  le\'ying  tribute. 
These  Indians  were  terror-stricken,  and  came  flying,  half  naked,  to  the 
Dutch  for  protection,  leaving  seventy  of  their  number  dead  and  many  of 
their  women  and  children  captives.  They  were  kindly  received  in  New 
Amsterdam.  They  seemed  to  have  almost  supreme  faith  in  the  superior 
power  of  the  white  man,  —  a  confidence  which,  by  a  wise  poUcy,  might 
have  been  strengthened.  But  public  sentiment  was  divided.  De  Vries,  at 
the  head  of  one  party,  breathed  kindness  and  caution  in  every  syllable  he 
uttered.  Others  sympathized  with  Kieft  in  his  insane  wish  to  extermi- 
nate the  savages.  Some  inkling  of  the  state  of  feeling  must  have  reached 
the  Indians,  for  they  suddenly  scattered  in  various  directions ;  some  flying 
to  Pavonia,  some  to  Vriesendael,  and  some  to  Corlear's  bouwery. 

A  few  days  after,  there  was  a  Shrovetide  dinner-party  at  the 

house  of  Jan  Jansen  Dam,  the  governor  being  present ;  and  nearly 
every  person  in  the  company  became  merry  with  wine.  The  chief  topic 
of  conversation  was  the  Indians.  Secretary  Van  Tienhoven,  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  Dam,  Adriaensen,  and  Planck,  drew  up  a  petition  to  the  gov- 
ernor, urging  in  the  name  of  the  "Twelve  Men"  an  immediate  attack  upon 
the  defenseless  savages,  "  whom  God  had  thus  delivered  into  their  hands." 
The  paper  was  no  sooner  read,  than  Kieft,  in  a  significant  toast,  an- 
nounced approaching  hostilities.  His  next  move  was  to  dispatch  Van  Tien- 
hoven and  Corporal  Hans  Steen  to  Pavonia,  to  reconnoiter  the  situation. 

Consternation  quickly  took  the  place  of  hilarity.  Dominie  Bogardus 
hastened  to  the  governor,  sharply  reproved  him  for  his  "hot-headed 
rashness,"  and  foretold  certain  consequences.  The  usually  unmoved  and 
dignified  Dr.  La  Montague  pleaded  with  Kieft  excitedly,  for  a  postpone- 
ment of  his  terrible  purpose.     "Wait,  for  God's  sake,"  he  exclaimed. 


GKXEh'AL    UPh'fSlXa    OF    Till':   IXDIAXS.  HI 

"  until  tliu  arrival  (it  the  next  ship  from  Holland!"  (.'attain  Dn  Vries 
raisinl  liis  vnicc  in  anxicnis  entreaty,  and  also  in  persuasive  arj,'iiinent. 
He  told  Ki(!l't  that  the  petition  was  not  from  the  "  Twelve  Men  " ;  only 
three  had  si^'ued  it ;  all  the  rest  were  opposed  to  such  a  danj,'erou3  pro- 
ceeding^. Words,  however,  were  thrown  away  upon  the  obstinate  <,'overn- 
or.  He  had  made  up  his  mind.  De  A'ries  walked  home  with  him,  and 
talked  incessantly ;  but  Kieft  only  smiled,  and  under  preten.se  of  showing 
th(!  Captain  his  new  parlor,  which  he  had  just  completed,  asked  him  into 
tlie  hall  upon  the  side  of  the  house,  where  the  soldiere  could  Ije  seen  pre- 
paring to  start  for  Pavonia.  "My  order  has  gone  forth,"  he  said,  "and 
cannot  be  recalled." 

The  story  of  that  night  is  a  blot  upon  the  pages  of  New  Netherland's 
history.  It  was  the  most  shocking  massacre  that  ever  disgraced  a  civil- 
ized nation.  Sergeant  Eodolf  crossed  with  his  troops  to  Pavonia,  and 
butchered  eighty  Indians  in  their  sleep,  sparing  not  a  woman  or  a  child. 
It  makes  humanity  blush  to  record  such  an  atrocious  deed.  Another 
baud  of  troops  marched  to  Corlear's  Hook,  and  murdered  forty  Indians 
who  were  encamped  there.  Not  one  was  spared,  and  every  cry  for  mercy 
was  unheeded. 

De  Vries  sat  all  night  by  the  kitchen  fire  in  the  governor's  house,  with 
an  aching  heart.  The  shrieks  of  the  hapless  victims  reached  his  ears 
from  Pavonia,  while  a  solemn  stillness  settled  OA'er  New  Amsterdam.  All 
at  once  an  Indian  aji^d  his  squaw  appeared  in  the  doorway,  and,  overcome 
with  terror,  asked  him  to  hide  them  in  the  fort.  They  lived  near  Vries- 
endael,  and  had  escaped  in  a  small  skiff.  As  De  Vries  rose  to  meet 
them,  they  exclaimed,  "The  Mohawks  have  fallen  upon  us!"  "No," 
said  De  Vries,  pityingly,  "no  Indians  have  done  this;  it  is  the  work  of  the 
Dutch.  It  is  no  time  to  hide  yourselves  in  the  fort " ;  and  leading  them 
to  the  gate,  he  directed  them  towards  the  north,  and  watched 
them  until  they  disappeared  in  the  woods. 

The  extraordinary  conquerors  returned  at  sunrise  with  thirty  prisoners 
and  the  heads  of  several  of  their  \'ictims.     Kieft  praised  them  for 
their  valor,  and  there  was  much  shaking  of  hands  and  many  con- 
gratulations. 

The  following  day,  a  party  of  Dutch  and  English  went  over  to  Pavonia 
to  pillage  the  stricken  encampment.  In  vain  the  soldiers  on  guard 
warned  them  of  the  consequences.  Dirk  Straatmaker  and  his  wife  were 
both  killed  by  some  concealed  Indians,  Avhose  Avigwam  they  were  robbing, 
and  several  others  very  narrowly  escaped  with  their  Uves. 

Stimulated  by  the  success  of  this  discreditable  exploit,  some  of  the 
Long  Island  settlers  sought  permission  of  the  governor  to  attack  the 


112  HT STORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

Indians  in  that  neighborhood.  De  Vries  and  Dominie  Bogardus  and  Dr. 
La  Montagne  remonstrated  with  so  much  earnestness,  that  Kiett  tinally 
refused  to  consent,  on  the  ground  that  the  Long  Island  Indians  were 
"  hard  to  conquer,"  but  added  the  unfortunate  proviso  that  "  if  they 
proved  hostile,  each  man  might  resort  to  such  means  of  defense  as  he 
should  see  fit."  Before  long  some  covetous  persons,  in  punishment  for 
an  injury  which  they  claimed  to  have  sustained,  robbed  the  Indians 
of  their  corn.  Three  of  the  latter,  while  defending  their  property,  were 
killed.  It  needed  only  this  crowning  act  of  injustice  to  fill  the  measure 
of  Indian  endurance.  Eleven  tribes  immediately  united  and  declared 
war  against  the  Dutch.  The  result,  as  may  well  be  imagined,  was 
terrible  beyond  description.  The  swamps  and  thickets  were  fuU  of 
vindictive  savages,  watching  opportunities  to  slay  and  plunder.  From 
the  shore  of  the  Housatonic  to  the  valley  of  the  Raritan,  death,  fire,  and 
captivity  threatened  unspeakable  horrors.  In  one  week  the  smiling 
country  was  transformed  into  a  frightful  and  desolate  wilderness.  The 
rich  and  the  poor,  the  strong  and  the  helpless,  the  old  and  the  young, 
shared  the  same  fate.  Blood  flowed  in  rivers  ;  and,  what  was  often 
worse,  children  were  carried  into  hopeless  captivity.  Those  who 
'  escaped  fled  to  the  fort,  where  the  valiant  governor  remained  safe 
from  all  possible  bodily  harm,  but  where  he  was  obliged  to  listen  to  the 
fiery  wrath  of  ruined  farmers,  childless  men,  and  widowed  women,  who  were 
soon  united  in  a  common  purpose  of  returning  to  Holland.  Not  knowing 
what  else  to  do,  he  proclaimed  a  day  of  general  fasting  and  prayer. 
'But  while  the  people  humbled  themselves  before  their  Maker, 
they  held  their  chief  magistrate  strictly  accountable  for  their  calamities. 
In  alarm,  he  tried  to  moderate  the  popular  feeling  by  taking  all  the 
unemployed  men  into  the  pay  of  the  company,  to  serve  as  soldiers  for 
two  months. 

One  incident  deserves  special  notice.  The  Indians,  in  their  work  of 
destruction,  attacked  Vriesendael,  burned  the  barns,  killed  the  cattle,  and 
were  preparing  to  destroy  the  beautiful  manor-house  of  De  Vries.  His 
people  had  all  gathered  there  for  safety,  as  it  was  constructed  with  loop- 
holes for  musketry.  Suddenly  the  same  Indian  whose  life  De  Vries  had 
saved,  on  the  night  of  the  Pavonia  massacre,  came  running  to  the  scene, 
and  so  eloquently  declaimed  to  the  savages  of  the  goodness  of  the  "  great 
chief,"  that  they  paused  in  their  work,  expressed  great  sorrow  that  they 
had  destroyed  so  much  already,  and  quietly  went  away. 

De  Vries  was  full  of  indignation  with  the  governor,  and  said  to  him, 
with  fire  flashing  from  his  eyes,  "  It  was  our  own  nation  you  murdered 
when  you  sent  men  to  Pavonia  to  break  the  Indians'  heads  !  Who  shall 
now  make  good  our  damages  ? " 


ovK/rrch'/'Js  for  i'Kack.  ii.'J 

Kiel't  saw  his  error,  l)ul  it  was  too  lato.  Williii}^  to  make  what  aiiKiuds 
remaineil  iu  his  power,  he  sent  a  luesscn^'er  witli  an  overture  of  peace  to 
the  Lonj,'  Ishuul  Indians,  wliieh  they  rejected  with  scorn.  Standing'  afar 
olT,  they  derided  the  Dutch,  calling  out,  "  Are  you  our  I'rieuds  ?  You  are 
corn  thieves." 

When  tliis  report  was  hrouglil  to  New  Amsterdani,  the  peoj)le  were  .so 
maddened  that  they  talked  of  deposing,'  Kiel't  and  .sending  him  in  <;hain3 
to  Holland.  He  tried  to  exculpate  himself  by  fastening  the  blame  of  the 
Pavonia  massacre  upon  Adriaenseu  and  others,  whose  advice  he  pretended 
to  have  followed.  This  was  one  drop  too  much  for  the  unprincipled 
Adriaenseu,  who  had  lost  all  his  valuable  property  since  the  war  com- 
menced, and  was  not  disposed  to  shoulder  any  of  Kieft's  sins.  He  there- 
fore armed  himself,  and  rushed  into  the  governor's  room,  intending  to 
kill  him  on  the  spot.  But  strong  men  were  present,  and  the 
would-be  assassin  was  seized,  disarmed,  and  imprisoned,  and  on 
the  sailing  of  the  first  vessel  was  sent  to  Holland,  notwithstanding  the 
open  resistance  of  his  friends. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  March  24,  three  Indian  messengers 
from  the  great  chief  Penhawitz  approached  Fort  Amsterdam, 
bearing  a  white  flag.  None  had  the  courage  to  go  forth  and  meet  them, 
but  De  Vries  and  Jacob  Olfersten.  The  Indians  said  they  had  come  to 
ask  why  some  of  their  people  had  been  murdered,  when  they  had  never 
harmed  the  Dutch.  De  Vries  assured  them  that  the  Dutch  did  not 
know  that  any  of  their  tribe  were  among  the  number.  They  then  asked 
De  Vries  to  come  with  them  and  speak  to  their  chief,  and  he  fearlessly 
consented.  They  conveyed  him  and  his  companion  in  their  boat  to  a 
point  near  Kockaway,  where  they  arrived  towards  evening,  and  found  the 
chief  with  two  or  three  hundred  warriors  near  a  village  of  some  thirty 
wigwams.  De  Vries  was  hospitably  entertained  in  the  royal  cabin,  and 
feasted  with  oysters  and  fish.  About  daybreak  he  was  conducted  into 
the  woods,  where  sixteen  chiefs  were  assembled  in  a  circle,  and  being 
placed  in  the  center,  the  chief  speaker  among  them  began  to  enumerate 
their  wrongs.  He  charged  the  Dutch  with  having  repaid  their  former 
kindness  with  cruelty  ;  told  how  the  Indians  had  given  them  their  daugh- 
ters for  wives,  by  whom  they  had  had  children;  and  accused  them  of 
murdering  their  own  blood  in  a  villainous  manner.  De  Vries  inter- 
rupted him,  and  begged  the  cliiefs  to  go  with  him  to  the  governor  and 
make  peace.  They  were  not  at  all  disposed  to  do  so,  but  De  Vries  urged 
them,  and  his  well-known  character  for  justice  and  honor  inspired  them 
at  last  with  confidence,  and  they  repaired  to  their  canoes.  Kieft  received 
them  gladly,  and  concluded  an  informal  treaty ;  but  they  were  not  satis- 


114  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

fied  with  their  presents,  and  grumbled  among  themselves  afterward. 
Through  their  aid  and  influence,  a  truce  was  also  effected  with 
"  some  other  faithless  tribes ;  but  harmony  was  by  no  means  re- 
stored, for  both  the  Dutch  and  the  Indians  were  smarting  from  their 
injuries.  The  farmers  planted  their  June  corn  in  constant  fear  of  death. 
Indeed,  peace  seemed  about  as  fuU  of  terror  as  war. 

July  came.  The  summer  was  hot  and  dry.  Men  crept  about  like 
guilty  creatures,  and  went  from  place  to  place,  when  possible,  in 
'  bands.  An  old  Indian  chief  met  De  Vries  one  day,  and,  in  response 
to  the  cheerful  greeting  of  the  popular  patroon,  said  that  he  was  melancholy. 
Upon  being  asked  the  cause,  he  said  that  his  young  men  wanted  war 
with  the  Dutch ;  that  the  presents  given  them  were  not  sufficient  recom- 
pense for  their  losses.  He  had  added  presents  of  his  own  in  vain.  One 
had  lost  a  father,  another  had  lost  a  mother,  and  so  on,  and  they  clamored 
for  revenge.  He  begged  De  Vries  not  to  walk  alone  in  the  woods,  for  fear 
some  Indians  who  did  not  know  him  might  kiU  him.  De  Vries  escorted 
the  chief  to  Fort  Amsterdam,  where  he  told  the  governor  the  same 
things ;  but  it  was  without  results.  The  chief  was  sorry,  but  said  he 
feared  he  should  not  long  be  able  to  quiet  his  tribe. 

Soon  afterward,  there  came  a  rumor  that  Pacham,  the  crafty 
^^^    '  sachem  of  the  Tankitekes,  was  visiting  all  the  Indian  villages,  to 
arrange  for  a  general  massacre  of  the  Dutch ;  and,  as  if  to  corroborate  its 
truth,  several  trading-boats  on  the  North  Eiver  were  attacked  and  plun- 
dered, nine  men  killed,  and  one  woman  and  two  children  carried  into 
captivity.     The  alarm  was  so  general,  that  Kieft  summoned  the  people 
together  for  advice.     "  Eight  men  "  were  chosen  this  time  by  the  popular 
voice,  to  counsel  with  the  governor.     They  were  Jochem  Pietersen  Kuy- 
ter,  Jan  Jansen  Dam,  Barent  Dircksen,  Abraham  Pietersen,  Thomas  Hall, 
Gerrit  Wolfertsen,  and  Cornelis  Melyn.     Their  first  official  act 
*^ "    '  was  to  eject  Jan  Jansen  Dam  from  their  board,  and  appoint  Jan 
Evertsen  Bout  in  his  place.     The  result  of  their  first  deliberation 
^^  '    '  was  a  renewal  of  hostilities  with  the  river  Indians,  and  a  resolu- 
tion to  maintain  peace  with  the  Long  Island  tribes. 

But  the  war-whoop  sounded  almost  immediately  in  another  di- 
^^ '  '  rection.  The  Weekquaesgeeks  stole  upon  the  estate  of  Annie 
Hutchinson,  at  Annie's  Hoeck,  and  murdered  her  with  all  her  family 
and  people,  save  a  sweet  little  granddaughter  of  eight  years,  whom  they 
carried  into  captivity.  They  then  proceeded  to  Vreedeland  and  attacked 
Throgmorton's  settlement,  laying  it  waste  and  killing  every  person  whom 
they  found  at  home. 

Lady  Deborah  Moody,  who  had  been  "  dealt  with  "  by  the  church  at 


A    TIMK  OF  DREAD.  115 

Salem  "for  the  error  of  denying  l)ii|ilisni  to  infunts,"  had  settled,  in  the 
month  of  June,  at  Gravesend.  Tliither  the  .savaj,'e3  hurried  in  tlieir 
insane  thirst  for  blood.  lUit  the  settlement  wius  defended  hy  over  forty 
bravo  men,  and  the  Indians  were  oblii,'e(l  to  retreat.  They  went  from 
there  to  Doughty's  settlement  at  Newtown,  where  were  eighty  or  more  in- 
habitants, who  iled  to  New  Amsterdam,  leaving  everything  Ijelouging  to 
them  but  the  bare  land  to  be  destroyed.  A  few  days  hiter,  the  Hackin- 
sacks  made  a  night  attack  ui)OU  Van  der  Horst's  colony,  on  Newark  Bay, 
and  destroyed  the  plantation,  driving  the  little  garrison,  who  for  a 
time  made  a  determined  resistance,  into  a  canoe,  by  which  they 
escaped  to  New  Amsterdam.  The  Neversincks  caught  the  infection,  and 
killed  some  traders  near  Sandy  Hook.  The  yacht  had  just  reached  New 
Amsterdam  with  the  tidings,  when  a  nearer  calamity  appalled  every 
heart.  Jacob  Stofi'elsen  had  married  the  widow  of  Van  Vorst,  Pau\\''s 
former  superintendent,  and  lived  at  Pavonia.  He  was  a  favorite  with 
the  Indians,  and  felt  secure  in  his  home.  They  came  to  his  house,  how- 
ever, one  afternoon,  and  having  sent  him  on  some  false  en-and  to  Fort 
Amsterdam,  they  killed  his  wife  and  children  (except  the  little  son  of 
Van  Vorst,  whom  they  took  off  with  them),  destroyed  all  his  property, 
and  murdered  every  -white  inhabitant  of  Pavonia.  The  next  day  Kieft 
went  with  Stoffelsen  to  see  De  Vries,  and  earnestly  entreated  him  to 
follow  the  Indians  and  ransom  the  boy.  Being  the  only  man  who 
dared  venture  into  the  haunts  of  the  savages,  he  finally  consented, 
and  secured  the  child's  freedom. 

Thus  New  Jersey  was  left  in  the  possession  of  its  aboriginal  lords. 
Melyn,  on  Staten  Island,  hourly  expected  an  assault,  and  was  fortified 
to  the  extent  of  his  resources.  The  only  tolerable  plac«  of  safety  was 
Fort  Amsterdam,  and  into  it  women  and  children  and  cattle  were  hud- 
dled promiscuously,  while  husbands  and  fathers  mounted  guard 
on  the  crumbling  walls.  The  whole  available  fighting  force  of 
the  Dutch  was  not  over  two  hundred  men,  besides  fifty  or  sixty  Eng- 
Ushraen  who  had  been  enrolled  into  service  to  prevent  their  leaving 
New  Netherland.  This  army  was  under  the  command  of  Captain  John 
Underhill;  and  it  was  necessary  that  they  should  keep  guard  at  aU 
hours,  for  seven  allied  tribes,  numbering  about  1,500  warriors,  were  likely 
to  descend  upon  them  at  any  moment. 

Just  at  this  juncture,  the  province  lost  one  of  its  leading  men,  and 
the  Indians  their  best  friend.  De  Vries  had  had  no  sjTnpathy  wuth  war ; 
he  now  found  himself  ruined  in  consequence  of  it,  and,  bidding  adieu  to 
the  governor  with  the  portentous  assurance,  "  Vengeance  for  innocent 
blood  will  sooner  or  later  fall  upon  your  head,"  he  embarked  on  a  fishing- 
vessel  and  sailed  for  Europe. 


116  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

1643-1647. 
APPEALS  FOR  ASSISTANCE. 

Confiscation  of  Shoes. —The  Doomed  Village. — Tkials  for  Want  of  Money.— 
Action  of  the  West  India  Company.  — Kieft's  Quarrels.  — The  War  ended.  — 
The  great  Indian  Treaty  of  Peace.  —Minerals.  — The  New  School.  —  Adriaen 
.  Van  der  Donck.  —  Van  Rensselaer's  Death. — The  new  Governor.  —  Stuyve- 
sant's  Reception.  —  Governor  Stuyvesant.  —  Mrs.  Peter  Stdyvesant.  —  Mrs. 
Bay-^ard. 

THE  front  line  of  progress  is  never  uniform.  We  can  indeed  assert 
with  truth  that  New  Netherland  generally  advanced ;  but  an  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with  its  early  history  shows  that  at  many  points 
it  was  stationary ;  and  now  we  have  come  to  one  where  it  actually  receded, 
until  the  oidy  wonder  is  that  the  province  under  that  style  and  power 
did  not  become  entirely  extinct. 

Indian  wars  are  never  invested  with  any  of  the  fleeting  splendors 
which  embellish  other  armed  conflicts.  They  add  no  luster  to  the  pages 
of  history.  They  furnish  little  philosophy  or  instruction.  We  have 
in  this  instance  no  military  skill  to  chronicle,  no  marshaling  of  hosts, 
no  clash  of  serried  columns.  A  sense  of  helplessness,  an  atmosphere  of 
terror,  an  indefinable  dread,  take  the  place  of  heroism  and  romance  as 
usually  pictured  with  the  shock  of  battles.  The  "  Eight  Men "  whom 
the  people  of  New  Netherland  had  chosen  to  think  and  act  for  them 
appealed  to  their  English  neighbors  at  New  Haven  for  assistance  in  their 
great  distress.  The  reply  was  cool  and  courteous,  but  decidedly  negative. 
It  was  embodied  in  these  words,  "  We  are  not  satisfied  that  your  war 
with  the  Indians  is  just." 

Just  or  unjust,  they  must  all  perish  now  without  relief      So 

they  told  the  whole  agonizing  story  in  a  most  elotpient  letter  to 

tlie  Amsterdam   Chamber,   praying  for   immediate   and   decisive   help.^ 

This  document  is  supposed  to  have  been  penned  by  Cornelis  Melyn,  who 

1  The  YAg\\i  Men  to  the  Amsterdam  Chamber,  Col.  Doc,  Vol.  I.  138,  139. 


AI'I'KAI.S    Foil    ASSIST  A  SCE. 


11 


was  a  man  of  uo  mean  ability,  and  wlio  hcimiis  to  liavci  fully  appniciated 
the  mistaken  poliey  (if  the  j,M)vern(>r.  The  winter  was  setlin;,'  in  witli 
unusual  severity.  The  small,  woithhiss  straw  huts  around  tlie  fort 
were  tlie  oidy .shelter  whieh  eould  l)e  ;,'iven  to  the  homeless  sulfer- 
ers  who  had  Hed  from  the  tomahawk  and  seali)in<,'-knife.  Tlie  fort  itscdf 
was  in  no  eondition  to  meet  the  emer<,'ency  of  the  hour ;  and  provisions 
and  clothing  were  wholly  inadetiuate  to  the  denumd.  As  helj)  from 
Holland  must  come  slowly,  if,  indeed,  it  came  at  all  l)efore  spring, 
ex[)editions  were  planned  against  some  of  the  Indian  villages,  the 
chief  object  of  which  was  plunder.  Meanwhile  the  "  Eight  Men  "  sent 
to  the  States-Cleueral  a  bold  complaint  of  the  neglect  of  the  West  In- 
dia Company.  They  said,  "  We  have  had  uo  means  of  defense  provided 
against  a  savage  foe,  and  we  have  had  a  niiscniljlc  despot  sent  to  rule 
over  us." 

About  the  middle  of  November,  a  colony  of  English  emigrants, 
headetl  by  IJobert  Fordham,  an-ived  at  Hempstede,  Long  Island, 
and  settled  on  laud  which  was  granted  them  by  Kieft.     Their  houses 
were  hardly  ready  for  occupation  when  suspicious  of  treachery  fell  upon 


Group,  showing  Holland  Fashions. 


Penhawitz,  the  sachem  of  the  Canavsee  Indians,  who  since  the  truce 
in  the  spring  had,  to  all  outward  appearauce,  been  friendly.     Fordham 
seut  a  message   of  this  import  to  the  governor,  who,  without  waiting 
to  ascertain  the  truth  of  the  charge,  dispatched  one  hundred  aud  i644. 
twenty  men,  under   the   command  of  Dr.    La  Montague,  Cook,  •'*"■  '^■ 
and  Underhill,  to  "  exterminate "  the  Canarsees.     They  sailed  in  three 


118  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

yachts  to  Cow  Bay,  and  proceeded  to  the  two  Indian  villages.  The 
savages,  taken  by  surprise,  made  little  resistance,  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty  were  killed,  while  the  assailants  lost  but  one  man.  Two  prison- 
ers were  taken  to  New  Amsterdam  and  put  to  death  in  the  most  revolt- 
ing manner.  One,  frightfully  wounded  by  the  long  knives  with  which 
Kieft  had  armed  the  soldiers  instead  of  swords,  at  last  dropped  dead 
while  dancing  the  death-dance  of  his  race.  The  other,  shockingly  muti- 
lated beforehand,  was  beheaded  on  a  millstone  in  Beaver  Lane,  near 
the  Battery. 

The  winter  was  one  of  the  darkest  and  most  disheartening 

^*^  ■  ever  known  to  the  colonists.  Food  was  doled  out  with  a  sparing 
hand,  and  famine  seemed  ever  near.  Many  had  not  sufficient  clothing 
for  their  necessities.  One  of  Van  Rensselaer's  vessels,  laden  with  goods 
for  his  store  in  Eensselaerswick,  chanced  to  arrive,  and  Kieft,  applying 
to  Peter  Wynkoop,  the  supercargo,  tried  to  buy  fifty  pairs  of  shoes  for 
his  soldiers.  The  man  declined  to  trade,  and  Kieft,  in  gi-eat  anger, 
ordered  a  forced  levy,  searched  the  vessel,  and,  finding  a  large  supply 
of  ammunition  and  guns,  not  included  in  the  manifest,  confiscated  its 
whole  cargo. 

The  shoes  obtained  were  immediately  put  to  use.     Underbill  had  just 

returned  from  Stamford,  where  he  had  been  reconnoitering  the  strength 

and   position  of  the  Connecticut  Indians   in   that  vicinity,  and  Kieft 

sent  him  back  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  to  "  exterminate "  them. 

The  word  "  exterminate  "  was  incorporated  into  all  his  orders  in 

'  such  cases.     The  party  went  in  yachts  to  Greenwich,  and  then 

marched  over  the  country  through  the  snow,  arriving  about  midnight 

at  the  doomed  Indian  village.     It  was  a  clear,  cold  night,  and 

^'^  'the  moon  shining  on  the  snow  rendered  it  nearly  as  light  as 
day.  The  vdlage  contained  three  rows  of  wigwams,  and  was  sheltered 
in  a  nook  of  the  hills  from  the  northwest  winds.  The  savages  were  not 
asleep,  but  merrily  celebrating  one  of  their  annual  festivals.  The  Dutch 
soldiers  surrounded  the  place,  and  charged  upon  them,  sword  in  hand. 
They  made  desperate  resistance;  but  every  attempt  to  break  the  line 
of  the  troops  failed,  and  in  one  hour  the  snow  was  dyed  with  the  blood 
of  nearly  two  hundred  of  the  Indians.  Having  forced  the  remainder 
into  their  wigwams.  Underbill,  remembering  Mason's  experiment  on  the 
Mystic,  resolved  to  burn  the  \'illage.  Straw  and  wood  were  heaped  about 
the  houses,  and  in  a  few  moments  red  flames  were  shooting  into  the  sky 
in  every  direction.  The  wretched  victims  who  tried  to  escape  were  shot, 
or  driven  back  into  the  fiery  abyss,  and  not  one  man,  woman,  or  child 
was  heard  to  utter  a  cry.     Six  hundred  feU.  that  night.     Of  those  who, 


TRIALS    FOR    WAST   OF   MOSFY.  HO 

blithe  and  hui)])y,  crowded  i\w  little  villa^'e  at  ni;,'litl'all,  Init  ei^dit  were 
loft  io  tell  the  fearful  story  to  tlieir  countrymen.  None  of  the  troops 
were  killed,  and  but  tifteeii  wounded.  They  bivouacked  on  the  .sntjw 
until  dayli<,dit,  and  then  returned,  like  Roman  comiueroi-s,  to  Fort  Am- 
sterdam. For  tlu'ir  "  brilliant  victory,"  Kicft  ])rocl;iiMii'd  a  (hiy  of  jiublic 
thank.s_niviu,ii,.^ 

Wishiu'f  to  turn  loose  th(!  few  cattle  they  had  all  winter  l)een 

M&rch3L 

Stabling  in  the  fort,  the  governor,  as  soon  as  the  snow  went  oil", 
issued  an  order  for  the  building  of  a  fence  across  the  island  from  the 
North  to  the  East  Eiver,  on  the  line  of  the  present  Wall  Street.     While 
a  number  of  men  were  engaged  in  its  construction,  a  few  triljes 
of  Indians,  worn  out,  it  is  presumed,  with  being  hunted  like  wild 
beasts,  came  to  the  fort  and  entered  into  a  treaty  of  peace.     But  the 
tribes   nearest   the   town,  and   consequently  those   most   dreaded,   kept 
aloof. 

By  this  time,  the  "Eight  Men"  had  received  from  the  Amsterdam 
Chamber  a  response  to  their  letter,  but  not  the  sorely  needed  funds  which 
had  been  expected.  The  financial  condition  of  the  company  had  been 
for  some  time  on  the  decline,  for  the  subsidies  and  other  sums  due  from 
the  provinces  had  never  been  promptly  paid  in ;  and,  not  being  supported 
by  an  extensive  trade,  their  military  and  naval  triumphs  had,  on  the 
whole,  cost  more  money  than  they  had  produced.  In  1G41,  the  shaking 
off  of  the  Spanish  yoke  by  the  Portuguese,  in  which  Holland  had  assisted, 
made  it  apparent  that  the  company  would  in  the  end  lose  Brazil ;  a 
long  series  of  quarrels  with  the  Directors  had  just  induced  Count  John 
Maurice,  one  of  the  ablest  rulers  of  the  seventeenth  century,  to  leave 
that  South  American  province  in  disgust ;  and  through  many  causes 
bankruptcy  was  already  threatening  the  proud  corporation.  A  bill  of 
exchange  which  Kieft  drew  upon  the  Amsterdam  Chamber,  the  pre- 
vious autumn,  came  back  protested.  Pressing  need  drove  him  to  the 
dangerous  alternative  of  taxing  wine,  beer,  brandy,  and  beaver-skins. 
The  "Eight  Men"  opposed  the  measure  with  all  their  strength, 
but  without  avail.  The  brewers,  upon  whom  the  tax  fell  most  ^^ 
heavily,  refused  to  pay  it,  on  the  ground  of  its  injustice ;  they  were 
arrested,  and  their  beer  given  to  the  soldiers. 

In  July,  a  vessel   containing  one  hundred  and  thirty  Dutch 
soldiers,  who  had  been  driven  by  the  Portuguese  out  of  Brazil,        ^ 
came  into  port,  ha\ang  been  sent  to  the  relief  of  the  New-Xetherlanders  ; 
and  Kieft  immediately  dismissed  his  English  auxiliaries,  and  billeted 

1  Tliis  affair  is  supposed  to  have  taken  place  on  Strickland's  Plain.     Doc.  Hist.  X.  Y., 
IV.  16,  17. 


120  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

the  new-comers  on  the  citizens.  As  they  were  half  naked,  he  enforced 
his  excise  laws,  to  get  the  means  to  clothe  them.  His  conduct  engendered 
private  as  well  as  public  quarrels  ;  and  there  were  prosecutions  daily 
and  without  number,  which  of  course  engrossed  his  attention ;  for  the 
governor,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  judge  as  well  as  juiy.  Indians 
prowled  about  the  town,  committing  thefts  every  night,  often  kiUing 
persons  less  than  a  thousand  paces  from  the  fort.  The  "Eight  Men" 
tried  to  improve  matters,  but  they  had  little  power,  and  Kieft  was 
"^'  '  deaf  to  their  counsels  and  suggestions.  A  committee  from  them 
went  in  person  to  him  at  one  time,  and  remonstrated  so  loudly  in  regard 
to  his  negligence  respecting  the  war,  that  he  sent  a  party  of  soldiers 
to  the  north  ;  but  they  soon  returned,  having  accomplished  nothing  but 
the  murder  of  eight  of  the  savages. 

Thus  that  terrible  summer  passed  in  civil  anarchy,  and  every 

Oct.  22.  J '  J 

day  affairs  grew  worse.  The  "Eight  Men"  bore  it  until  they 
could  bear  it  no  longer ;  and  finally,  in  a  cutting  memorial  addressed  to 

the  West  India  Company,  they  charged  the  whole  blame  of  the 

war  and  their  consequent  sufferings  upon  Kieft,  and  demanded 
his  recall.  They  particularly  warned  the  company  against  a  "book 
ornamented  with  water-color  drawings  "  which  Kieft  had  sent  to  them, 
which  they  said  "had  as  many  Kes  as  lines  in  it,"  and  declared  that 
his  Excellency  could  know  nothing  about  the  geography  of  the  country, 
since,  during  his  whole  residence  in  New  Amsterdam,  he  liad  never  been 
farther  from  his  bedroom  and  kitchen  than  the  middle  of  Manhattan 
Island. 

This  communication  reached  Holland  at  an  opportune  moment. 
'  The  College  of  the  XIX  was  in  session,  and  aU  who  heard 
the  letter  felt  that  the  colonists  were  in  earnest,  and  would  return  with 
their  wives  and  children  to  the  Fatherland,  as  they  threatened,  if  Kieft 
was  not  recalled.  Melyn's^  spirited  letter  to  the  States-General,  which 
had  been  sent  to  the  Amsterdam  Chamber  with  appropriate  remarks 
from  that  august  body,  came  in  at  the  same  time  for  its  share  of  atten- 
tion.    It  was  finally  resolved  "to  collect  and  condense  all  the  reports 

about  New  Netherland."      This  was    subsequently  done  by  the 
■  recently   organized   "  Rekenkamer,"   or  Bureau  of  Accounts ;  and 
the  document  is  one  of  the  most  important  state  papers  in  existence,  as 
haying  determined  the  future  policy  of  the  company. 

It  was  decided  to  recall  Kieft ;  but  as  no  one  at  hand  appeared 
exactly  adapted  to  fill  his  place,  Van  Dincklagen  was  named  as  a 
provisional  governor  for  New  Netherland.     At  a  meeting  of  the  Direc- 

1  Melyn  was  the  president  of  the  "  Eight  Men." 


Kii:rrs  QCAUina.s.  121 

tors,  oil  the  '.\A  of  Maicli,  1(14"),  it  was  rusolvt-d  lo  vest  tlu;  proviiiciiil 
<,'oveniiiu'nt  in  u  Suitrcino  Couiu'il,  coiisistiiij;  oi'  u  Diicctor-CJtMi-  1640. 
era],  VicL'-Diivclor,  and  Fiscal,  by  wlioin  all  ])iil)li(;  coiiccriis  March 8. 
slioukl  1)0  iiiaiia<fe(l.  Fort  Anistonlani  siiould  bo  lopaiioil,  and  u  gan-ison 
of  filty-throo  soldiciis  lonstaiitly  iiiaiiitaiii(>d.  Tlio  wisiios  of  tlio  poojile 
should  be  rospoctod,  and  tlio  Indians  apjjoased.  Tlio  jioimlatiou  of  the 
country  should  bo  strongthonod,  and  Anistordani  weights  iind  measures 
used  throughout  Now  Notlun-land.  All  the  negi'oes  should  bo  imported 
that  the  patroons  and  colonists  would  buy,  aud  every  man  should  be 
rocpiin'd  to  jirovido  himself  with  a  musket  aud  side-arms. 

Thus,  notwithstanding  the  discovery  that  their  North  American  prov- 
ince had  fallen  into  ruin  and  confusion  by  reason  of  Kieft's  unnecessary 
war,  without  the  knowledge  and  surely  not  by  the  order  of  the  company, 
and  against  the  will  and  wishes  of  the  people;  aud  that,  according  to 
the  books  of  the  Amsterdam  Chamber,  this  same  province  had,  in  place 
of  being  a  source  of  proHt,  actually  cost,  since  162G,  over  five  hundred 
aud  fifty  thousand  guilders  above  the  returns,  —  they  evidently  felt  that 
it  was  not  entirely  beyond  hope,  and  that  they  need  not  and  ouglit  not 
to  abandon  it. 

The  news  of  Kieft's  recall  reached  New  Amsterdam  long  previous 
to  the  official  summons  to  appear  before  his  employers.  He  thence- 
forth labored  under  a  great  pressure  of  untoward  circumstances.  All 
classes  of  the  people  treated  him  with  marked  disrespect.  His  life 
was  an  imbroken  chapter  of  arrests,  for  he  attempted  to  punish  every 
one  who  was  guilty  of  disloyalty  to  himself  as  their  chief  magistrate. 
He  fined  and  imprisoned  and  banished  to  his  heart's  content,  allowing  no 
appeal  to  the  Fatherland ;  a  stretch  of  high-handed  tyranny  which,  but 
for  the  expected  relief,  would  probably  have  cost  him  his  life. 

His  best  friends  —  if,  indeed,  he  had  any  friends  —  could  not  restrain  him 
from  the  most  injudicious  acts.  Dominie  Bogardus,  while  remonstrating 
with  him  one  day,  was  accused  by  him  of  drunkenness  and  alliance  with 
the  malcontents.  The  next  Sabbath  morning,  the  good  divine,  sfcmding 
in  his  cheaply  canopied  pulpit,  said :  "  What  are  the  great  men  of  our 
country  but  vessels  of  wi'ath  and  fountains  of  woe  and  trouble  ?  They 
think  of  nothing  but  to  plunder  the  property  of  others,  to  dismiss,  to 
banish,  and  to  transport  to  Holland."  Wliereupon  Kieft,  who  had  been 
up  to  that  time  a  noted  church-goer,  absented  himself  fi'om  the  sanc- 
tuary, and  caused  a  band  of  soldiers  to  practice  all  sorts  of  noisy  amuse- 
ments, such  as  the  beating  of  drums  and  the  firing  of  cannons,  under 
the  church  windows. 

The  dominie  did  not,  however,  relax  his  censures  of  the  governor, 


122  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY  OF    NEW    YORK. 

aud  just  after   the   following  New   Year's   Day   he   was   arrested,  and 
1646.  required  to  answer  to  a  long  list  of  charges.     His  answers,  being 
'^^°-  ^'  in   accordance  with   his   clear  sense  of  justice,  were  inadmissi- 
ble before  such  a  tribunal ;  and  at  last,  to  silence  the  scandal  and 
'  disorder,  mutual  friends   interfered,  the   prosecution  was   termi- 
nated, and  the  governor  went  to  church  again,  being  placated  by 
'  the  compliance  of  Dominie  Bogardus  with  his  request  to  allow 
Dominie  Mesapolensis,  who  was  in  New  Amsterdam,  to  preach  the  next 
Sunday. 
1645.        Meanwhile  the  Indians,  wishing  to  plant  their  corn,  and  after- 
Aprii  22.  wards  to  engage  in  their  usual  pastimes  of  hunting  and  fish- 
ing, sued  for  peace.     A  few  chiefs  appeared  at  the  fort  and  entered  into 
a  treaty,  apparently  pleased  when  a  salute  of  three  guns  was  fired  in 
honor  of  the  occasion.^     They  were  engaged  to  secure  the  good-wiU  of  the 
yet  hostile  tribes,  —  a  work  which  was  at  last  accomplished  by  the  diplo- 
macy of  Whiteneywen,  chief  of  the  Mockgonecocks.     He  soon  returned 
with  friendly  messages  from  the  chiefs  along  the  Sound  and  near  Eocka- 
way,  and  both  parties  went  through  the  ceremony  of  a  formal  treaty. 
Kieft  then,  accomj)anied  by  Dr.  La  Montague,  made  his  first  visit 
to  Fort  Orange,  hoping  to  secure  the  friendship  of  the  Mohawks 
and  other  tribes  in  that  vicinity,  who  had  just  made  peace  with  the 
French.     This  efibrt  was  crowned  with  success,  and  on  the  30th 
^^'    '  of  August  the  chiefs  of  all  the  tribes  assembled  in  New  Amster- 
dam, where  they  were  met  by  the  officers  of  the  government  and  the 
people,  and  with  the  most  imposing  ceremonies  all  pledged  themselves 
to  eternal  friendship  with  each  other.     No  armed  Indian  was  henceforth 
to  visit  the  houses  of  the  Europeans;  and  no  armed  European  was  to 
visit  the  Indian  villages,  without  a  native  escort.     So  slender,  at 
^^'    '  this  time,  were  the  resources  of  Kieft,  that  he  was  obliged  to  bor- 
row money  of  Van  der  Donck,  in  order  to  make  the  customary  presents 
to  the  savages. 

With  characteristic  thoughtfulness,  the  Dutch  stipulated  for  tlie  resto- 
ration of  the  little  captive  granddaughter  of  Annie  Hutcliinson ;  and  the 
Indians,  with  apparent  reluctance,  acceded  to  the  proposal.  The  next  July 
they  appeared  with  her  at  Fort  Amsterdam,  and  Kieft  had  the  rare  pleas- 
ure of  sending  her  to  her  friends  in  Boston.  During  her  brief  captivity, 
she  had  forgotten  her  own  language  and  the  faces  of  her  relatives,  and 
was  loath  to  leave  the  Indians,  who  had  evidently  treated  her  tenderly. 

1  The  salute  was  fired  by  Jacob  Jacobsen  Roy,  who,  in  the  discharge  of  this  duty,  unfor- 
tunately received  a  severe  injury  from  an  explosion,  which  long  kept  him  under  the  care  of 
Surgeon  Kiersted,   and  ultimately  deprived  him  of  his  arm. 


THE  CHEAT   /\/)/A.V    TI:i:aTY   or   I'HACE.  l-^i 

'I'licn;  was  joy  in  Ni^w  AinsU'iduiii  uL  llit;  lni;;liL  |(ru.s|M'(L  of  a  diirahlc 
|H'ii(c  ;  hut  thii  (k!S(»liiliou  ciiusnd  liy  llio  lu'cdkvss  war  was  not  soon  to  piws 
out  of  sight.  It  had  bcuu  wisy  to  coinnmnci;  hostihtius,  liut  how  wt-n; 
broken   hearts  and  fortunes  to  be  repainnl  >.     The  (hiy  I'oUowin'' 

*  .         Aug.  .'». 

the   final   settlement  of  the  treaty,   Kieft  issued  a  jn-ochunation, 
directing,'  the  observance  of  the  (Jth  ol'  Septendjer  as  a  day  t)f  g(Mi(;ral 
tliauksgivinfi;,  "to  proclaim  tlu;  <,'ood  tidin,ii;s  in  all  tiu;  Dutch  and  Knj,dish 
churches." 

People  began  once  more  to  scatter  over  the  country,  and  to  dear  and 
improve  the  land.  The  party  who  luul  been  driven  from  Newtown,  I><)Ug 
Island,  returned;  but  they  were  bankrupt,  their  houses  and  farming 
utensils  were  gone,  and  it  was  diliicult  to  get  another  fo(jth(jld.  Doughty 
e.xacted  purchase-money  and  ipiit-reuts  before  he  would  allow  his  jieoplo 
to  build ;  but  they  ap])ealed  to  the  governor,  who,  thinking  it  unwise  to 
hiuder  population,  managed  so  that  the  minister's  laud  was  confiscated. 
Doughty  gave  notice  that  he  should  appeal  from  this  decision ;  and  he 
was  thereupon  imprisoned  ibr  twenty-four  hours,  fined,  and  compelled 
to  promise  in  writing  that  he  would  never  mention  what  had  occurred. 
He  afterwards  removed  to  Flushing,  which  had  just  been  settled 
by  a  party  of  New  England  emigrants.  These  people  had  bought 
more  than  sixteen  thousand  acres  of  laud  of  Kieft ;  and  Doughty  became 
their  minister,  with  a  salary  of  six  hundred  guilders  per  annum. 

Two  months  later,  that  portion  of  Long  Island  adjoining  Coney 
Island,  now  known  as  Gravesend,  was  formally  patented  to  Lady 
Moody,  her  son  Sir  Henry  Moody,  Ensign  George  Baxter,  and  Sergeant 
James  Hubbard,  who  had  held  it  so  bravely  during  all  these  harassing 
years. 

In  pursuance  of  orders  from  the  West  India  Company,  Kieft 
investig-ated  the  mineral  resources  of  the  province.  During  the 
progress  of  the  treaty  in  August,  some  of  the  Indians  had  exhibited 
specimens  of  minerals  they  claimed  to  have  found  in  the  Neversitick 
Hills  and  elsewhere,  which  upon  analysis  yielded  Avhat  was  supposed 
to  be  gold  and  quicksilver  and  iron  pyi'ites.  An  officer  and  thirty  men 
were  sent  to  search  for  and  procure  as  many  specimens  as  possible  for 
transmission  to  Holland.  They  found  the  article  in  question,  and  as  a 
ship  was  going  to  leave  New  Haven  in  December,  they  sent  their  little 
cargo  by  it,  in  charge  of  Arendt  Corssen ;  but  the  vessel  was  lost  at  sea, 
and  never  heard  from  after  it  passed  out  of  Long  Island  Sound. 

One  of  the  signs  of  progress  in  New  Amsterdam  was  a  new  school 
started  by  Arien  Jansen  Van  Olfendam,  who  arrived  from  Holland  on 
March  3d  of  this  year.     He  had  no  competitor  after  Roelandsen's  banish- 


124  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

ment,  and  prospered  as  well  as  could  have  been  expected,  considering 
the  condition  of  the  country.  His  terms  of  tuition  were  "  two  beavers  " 
per  annum,  —  beavers  meaning  dried  beaver-skins.  He  taught  in  New 
Amsterdam  until  the  year  1660,  and  among  those  he  educated  were  some 
of  the  leading  personages  of  the  province. 
1647.  Meanwhile  Adriaen  Van  der  Donck,  whose  name  is  familiar  to 
Jan.  17.  ^]^Q  historians  of  New  Netherland,  had  married  the  daughter  of 
Eev.  Francis  Doughty,  and  wished  to  remove  to  Manhattan.  He  had 
filled  the  office  of  sheriff  in  Eensselaerswick  for  nearly  five  years,  and 
had  been  of  infinite  service  to  the  colony.  Through  his  influence  the 
first  church  had  been  built  there,  which,  although  small,  had  a  canopied 
pulpit,  pews  for  the  magistracy  and  the  deacons,  and  nine  benches  for 
the  people,  after  the  fashion  of  the  Fatherland.  As  previously  recorded, 
it  was  chiefly  through  his  recommendations  that  the  services  of  Dominie 
Megapolensis  had  been  secured ;  a  clergyman  who  not  only  preached  to 
his  own  countrymen,  but  was  the  first  of  the  Dutch  Church  to  attempt 
the  instruction  of  the  Indians  in  religion.  For  a  long  time,  he  knew 
very  little  of  the  Indian  language ;  and  he  related  in  a  letter  to  a  friend 
how,  when  he  preached  a  sermon,  ten  or  twelve  savages  would  attend, 
each  with  a  long  pipe  in  his  mouth,  and  would  stare  at  him,  and  after- 
ward ask  why  he  stood  there  alone  and  made  so  many  words,  when 
none  of  the  rest  might  speak.  He  taught  them  slowly  and  by  de- 
grees, as  he  could  make  himself  understood,  that  he  was  admonishing 
them  as  he  did  the  Christians,  not  to  drink  and  murder  and  steal. 
Through  his  volimtary  and  earnest  and  unceasing  labors,  many  of  the 
red-men  about  Fort  Orange  heard  the  gospel  preached  long  before  New 
England  sent  missionaries  among  the  Indians. 

Before  Van  der  Donck  had  completed  his  arrangements  for  removal,  the 
pretty  cottage  in  which  he  lived  was  burned ;  and,  as  it  was  in  the  depth 
of  a  remarkably  inclement  winter,  Van  Corlear  invited  his  houseless 
neighbors  to  share  his  hospitality.  A  quarrel  soon  arose,  because  Van 
Curler  insisted  that  Van  der  Donck  was  bound  by  his  lease  to  make  good 
to  the  patroon  the  value  of  the  lost  house.  Van  der  Donck  retorted 
sharply;  whereupon  Van  Corlear  ordered  him  from  under  his  roof  within 
two  days.  Seeking  refuge  in  Fort  Orange,  Van  der  Donck  was  allowed 
by  the  new  commissary,  Van  der  Bogaerdt,  to  occupy  a  miserable  hut, 
"  into  which,"  he  said,  "  no  one  would  hardly  be  willing  to  enter,"  until 
the  opening  of  river  navigation,  when  he  proceeded  to  New  Amsterdam. 
Kieft  was  well  disposed  towards  the  man  to  whom  he  was  in- 
"  debted  for  a  large  amount  of  borrowed  money,  and  readily  granted 
him  the  privileges  of  patroon  over  some  fine  lands  which  he  selected,  to 


VAX  u /■: xss/:/,. I /■:/," s  dhatii.  125 

tho  iiortli  of  Maiihattaii  Isl.md,  .m  ilic  IIikIsdh  Ilivt-r.  wliirli  look  tlio 
imnu!  of  "Colon  Doiick,"  or  "DoiicU's  Colony."  Many  of  tlu;  I)uU;b 
were  in  the  Iial)it  of  calling;  this  cslatc  "  dc  .lonklieer's  Lindt,"  .lonk- 
hoer  being  a  title  whieii  in  Hollanil  was  applied  to  the  sons  of  noblemen. 
The  English  eorrupted  it  and  called  it  Yonkijrs  ;  thus  the  name  Early 
Yonkeis  pei'i)etuates  (he  nicniory  i)f'  the  lirst  jn'ojuietor  of  the  "P^nK 
j)voperty  in  that  loeality. 

During  the  same  suninier,  Kieft  issued  a  ])atent  to  Cornelis  Antonissen 
Van  Slyck  for  the  laiul  which  is  now  the  town  of  Catskill,  with  the 
privileges  oi"  patroou ;  giving  as  a  reason  "  the  great  services  which  Van 
Slyck  had  done  this  eouutry  in  hel])iug  to  make  peace  and  ransom 
prisoners  during  the  war";  but  in  so  doing  the  governor  openly  set  at 
naught  the  i)retensions  oi"  the  patroon  of  liensselaerewick,  which,  in- 
deed, had  already  been  foiiually  denied  in  the  proceedings  against  Kooi'n 
in  1G44. 

News  of  the  death  of  Kiliaen  Van  Rensselaer  soon  after  reached  the 
colony.  By  this  event  the  title  of  the  estate  descended  to  his  eldest  son, 
Johannes,  who,  being  under  age,  was,  by  his  father's  wiU,  placed  under 
the  guardianship  of  Johannes  Van  Wely  and  Wouter  Van  Twiller,  his 
exeoutm-s.  In  November,  these  guardians  of  the  young  patroon,  having 
rendered  homage  to  the  States-General,  in  the  name  of  their  ward,  sent 
Brandt  Van  Slechtenhorst  as  director  to  the  colony,  in  place  of  Van 
Corlear,  who  had  resigned. 

Late  in  autumn,  the  company  granted  the  town  of  Breuckelen, 
Long    Island,    municipal    privileges ;    that   is,   the   people   were 
allowed  to  elect  two  schepens,  with  full  judicial  powers,  and  a  schout, 
who  shoidd  be  subordinate  to  the  sheriff'  at  New  Amsterdam.     The  vil- 
lage at  this  time  was  a  mile  inland,  the  hamlet  at  the  water's  edge  was 
known  as  the  Ferry. 

Kieft  was  very  much  harassed,  during  the  entire  year  of  1646,  by 
difficulties  Avith  the  Swedes  on  the  Delaware  River,  and  by  what  he 
styled  the  "  impudent  encroachments  "  of  the  New-Englanders.  He  sent 
Andries  Hudde  to  succeed  Jan  Jausen  at  Fort  Nassau,  and  imprisoned 
Jansen  for  fraud  and  neglect  of  duty.  In  the  autumn  of  1645,  he  sent 
him  to  Holland,  for  trial.  Hudde  was  equal  to  the  governor  in  the  use 
of  profane  language,  but,  though  energetic,  he  was  no  match  for  Printz, 
the  imperious  Swedish  commander,  who  nearly  annihilated  the  commerce 
of  the  Dutch  ;  and  the  two  neighbors  were  engaged  in  a  perpetual  squab- 
ble, which  had  no  dignity,  and  is  hardly  worth  a  place  in  history,  since  it 
was  followed  by  no  results.  In  the  same  manner  ended  a  long  and  curi- 
ously bitter  correspondence  between  the  governor  and  the  New  England 


V 


12(i  HISTORY    OF   THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

authorities.  While  justice,  in  this  instance,  seemed  to  be  on  the  side 
of  the  Dutch,  the  English  certainly  showed  themselves  the  better  diplo- 
matists, and  Kieft  only  injured  a  good  cause  by  intermeddling. 

But  events  in  another  part  of  the  world  had  already  prepared  the  way 
for  a  change  which  was  to  intiuence  all  the  future  of  the  province  of  New 
Netherland.  Peter  Stuyvesant,  the  governor  of  Cura^oa,  which  had 
been  wrested  from  the  Spanish  during  the  most  brilliant  period  of  the 
West  India  Company's  history,  made  an  unsuccessful  attack  upon  the 
Portuguese  island  of  St.  Martin  in  1644,  through  which  he  lost  a  leg,  and 
was  obliged  to  return  to  Europe  for  surgical  aid.  The  company,  who 
held  him  in  great  respect,  concluded  to  send  him  as  governor  to  New 
Netherland,  and  revoked  Van  Dincklagen's  provisional  a})pointment. 
During  the  summer 
of  1645,  a  sharp 
controversy  was  go- 
ing on  among  the 
Directors  of  the  com- 
pany in  regard  to  the 
proposed  reforms  in 

colonial  affairs  ;    and  Autograph  of  stuyvesant. 

their  ablest  pens  were  in  constant  requisition  to  ward  off  the  attacks  of 
the  national  Dutch  party,  who  were  publishing  pamphlets  to  influence 
the  public  mind  against  their  movements,  and  to  show  them  up  as  a 
clique  of  tyrants,  who  had  squandered  the  treasures  of  the  country  and 
contracted  immense  debts.  It  is  curious  to  read  the  company's  various 
and  numberless  resolutions  about  this  time,  especially  those  treating  of 
money  matters.  They  lead  us  into  a  better  understanding  of  the  diffi- 
culties attending  such  a  corporation,  which,  taking  upon  itself  a  part  of 
the  duties  of  the  government,  would  necessarily  expect  from  the  latter 
assistance;  and  this,  coming  at   all   times   slowly,  at  last  failed  them 

1645.  altogether.     It  was  decided  in  the  College  of  the  XIX,  that  the 
July  6.  expenses  of  New  Netherland  should  no  longer  be  confined  to  the 

Amsterdam  Chamber,  but  shared  by  all  the  chambers  ol'  the  company  in 
common.  As  news  of  the  peace  with  the  Indians  had  reached  them, 
they  were  in  less  haste  to  send  out  a  new  governor :  finally,  to  settle 
the  knotty  questions  which  were  engendering  a  great  deal  of  ill-feeling, 
and  to  render  instructions  clear  and  comprehensive,  Stuyvesant's  depart- 
ure was  delayed  for  more  than  a  year;  and  even  at  the  last,  all  the 
preparations  for  his  voyage  were  tediously  slow. 

1646.  He  received  his  commission,  and  took  the  oath  of  ofiice  before 
July  28.  tiie  States-General,  July  28, 1646.     He  sailed  on  Christmas  morn- 


77/A'  .\A'ir  covr.nsoir 


127 


ill},',  and  alter  «  lonj^'  detour,  stopj)!!!},'  at  Cuni(;<)ii  and  the  West  India 
Islands,  rwulied  New   Amsterdam,  May   11,   1()47.     He  was  ac-    1647. 
com])anied    by  Van  JJincklayen  as  Vice-Director,  Van  Dyck  as    Muyii. 
Fiscal,  Pajitiiin   Hryan  Newton,  Coniuiissarv'  Adriaen   Keyser,  aiid  Cap- 


Portrait  of  Peter  Stuyves?nt. 

tain  Jelmer  Thomas,  with  several  soldiers,  a  numlier  of  free  colonists, 
and  a  few  private  traders.  The  first-named  gentlemen,  including  the 
governor,  had  their  families  with  them. 

Stuyvesant's  reception  was  very  flattering.  The  guns  of  the  fort  were 
fired,  and  the  entire  popidation  of  New  Amsterdam  cheered  and  waved 
hats  and  handkerchiefs  as  he  landed.  There  was  a  little  informal  speech- 
making,  and  Avith  great  hauteur  the  new  chief  magistrate  assured  the 
crowd  that  he  "  should  L-overn  them  as  a  father  does  his  children." 


128  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

The  wily  little  Kieft  was  foremost  iu  luakiug  his  successor  welcome, 
and  escorted  him  to  the  Executive  Mansion,  which  he  had  already  va- 
cated, and  in  which  a  sumptuous  repast  was  awaiting  His  Excellency. 

Peter  Stuyvesant  was  the  son  of  a  clergyman  in  Friesland.  He  had 
early  evinced  a  taste  for  military  life,  and  had  now  been  for  some  years 
in  the  employ  of  the  West  India  Company.  He  was  a  proud,  scholarly 
looking  man,  a  little  abcjve  the  medium  height,  with  a  remarkably  fine 
physique ;  and  he  bore  himself  with  the  air  of  a  prince.  The  highly  in- 
tellectual features  of  his  face  gave  evidence  of  great  decision  and  force 
of  character.  His  complexion  was  dark,  and  a  close  black  cap  which  he 
often  wore  imparted  to  it  a  still  deeper  shade.  His  chin  was  bare,  and 
his  mouth,  indicative  of  sternness  and  grave  authority,  was  fringed  with 
a  very  slight  mustache.  The  inflections  of  his  voice,  and  his  whole 
appearance  when  speaking,  were  rather  unattractive ;  but,  in  spite  of  a 
certain  apparent  coldness,  no  one  could  escape  the  influence  of  his  mag- 
netic presence.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  prejudices  and  passions,  of 
severe  morality,  and  at  times  unapproachable  aspect ;  but  his  heart  was 
large,  his  sympathies  tender,  and  his  afl'ections  warm,  though  his  creed 
was  rigid.  He  was  never  otherwise  than  faultlessly  dressed,  and  always 
after  the  most  approved  European  standard.  A  wide,  drooping  shirt-col- 
lar fell  over  a  velvet  jacket  with  slashed  sleeves,  displaying  a  fidl  white 
puffed  shirt-sleeve.  His  hose  were  also  slashed,  very  full,  and  fastened 
at  the  knee  by  a  handsome  scarf  tied  in  a  knot,  and  his  shoes  were 
ornamented  with  a  large  rosette.  His  lost  leg  had  been  replaced  by 
a  wooden  one  with  silver  bands,  which  accounts  for  the  tradition  that 
he  wore  a  silver  leg.  He  was  often  abrupt  in  manner,  and  made  no 
pretensions  to  conventional  smoothness  at  any  time.  He  had  sterling 
excellences  of  character,  but  more  knowledge  than  culture. 

The  career  of  Governor  Stuy^^esant  is  deeply  interesting  from  its  sym- 
metry and  its  manliness.  He  came  to  Manhattan  in  the  employ  of  a 
mercantile  corporation ;  but  his  whole  heart  and  soul  became  enlisted 
iu  the  welfare  of  the  country  of  his  adoption.  Thenceforward  to  his 
latest  breath  he  was  intensely  American,  and  the  varied  fruits  of  his 
labors  are  among  the  most  valuable  legacies  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

A  few  years  prior  to  this  date,  he  had  married  Judith  Bayard,  the 
daughter  of  a  celebrated  Paris  divine,  who  had  taken  refuge  in  Holland 
from  religious  persecution.  Shortly  after  his  own  marriage,  his  sister 
Anna  was  espoused  to  Nicholas  Bayard,  Judith's  elder  brother.  The 
husband  died  within  a  short  period,  leaving  his  young  widow  and 
three  infant  sons  to  the  care  of  her  only  brother,  who  deemed  it 
wise  to  bring  them  with  him  to  his  new  home.     The  tw(j  ladies,  Mrs. 


MliS.    I'KTKi:   STrYVKSANT.  1 -"' 

Stuyvc'sant  and  Mrs.  Uayaiil,  liad  liillnirto  known  only  luxury  ami  loni- 
I'ort.  Tliey  wore  well  inl'oinuMl  as  lo  tlu;  unwjilain  prosjiecls  ol'  colonial 
life,  and  possible;  savage  warfare;  lor  the  puhlislicd  accounts  of  llic  New 
NeLlierland  horrors  had  circidated  wi(U;Iy  in  Europe.  IJul  tluiy  were 
as  l)rave  as  they  were  sensible  and  seli'-.sacrilicinj,'.  Mrs.  Stuyve.sant  was 
a  blonde,  and  very  beautiful,  spoke  both  the  French  and  the  I)utch  lan- 
giiajfc  with  ease,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  acquired  a  <iood  knowl- 
edge of  English.  She  had  a  sweet  voice  and  a  rare  taste  for  music, 
which  had  been  cultivated  under  the  best  of  mastei-s.  She  was  fond 
of  dress,  and  followed  the  French  fashions,  displaying  considerable  artis- 
tie  skill  in  the  perfection  and  style  of  her  attire.  She  was  gentle  and 
retiring  in  her  manners,  but  was  possesseil  of  great  firmness  of  char- 
acter. 

Mrs.  Bayard  was  less  attractive  in  person ;  she  was  tall,  commanding, 
and  imperious.  Her  education  was  of  a  high  order,  considering  the  age  iu 
which  she  lived,  and  she  had  great  tact  and  capacity  for  business.  She 
brought  a  tutor  across  the  ocean  for  her  three  little  sons ;  but  after  he 
had  been  dismissed  as  unworthy  of  his  position,  she  taught  the  children 
herself  in  almost  every  branch  of  practical  education.  Of  her  abilities  in 
that  direction  we  may  judge  from  the  fact  that  her  son  Nicholas,  a 
mere  youth,  was  appointed,  in  16G4,  to  the  clerkship  of  the  Common 
Council,  —  an  office  of  which  the  records  were  required  to  be  kept  in 
both  Dutch  and  English.  It  wiU  not  be  amiss  perhaps,  in  this  connec- 
tion, to  quote  from  the  historian  Brodhead  a  few  words  in  regard  to  the 
women  of  Holland.  He  says :  "  The  purity  of  morals  and  decorum  of 
manners,  for  which  the  Dutch  have  ever  been  conspicuous,  may  be  most 
justly  ascribed  to  the  happy  influence  of  their  women,  who  mingled  in 
all  the  active  affairs  of  life,  and  were  consulted  with  deferential  respect. 
They  loved  their  homes  and  their  firesides,  but  they  loved  their  country 
more.  Through  all  their  toils  and  struggles,  the  calm  fortitude  of  the 
men  of  Holland  was  nobly  encouraged  and  sustained  by  the  earnest  and 
undaunted  spirit  of  their  mothers  and  wives.  And  the  empire  which  the 
female  sex  obtained  was  no  greater  than  that  which  their  beauty,  good 
sense,  virtue,  and  devotion  entitled  them  to  hold." 

It  was  well  for  Stuyvesant  that  he  had  such  a  wife  and  sister  near 

him,  for  he  was  entering  upon  a  series  of  trials  which  would  test  his 

temper  and  discretion  to  the  utmost.     Of  their  influence  and  coun- 

May  27. 

sels  we  catch  only  occasional  glimpses  here  and  there.  But  his 
administration  was  longer  and  more  perplexing  than  that  of  any  other 
Dutch  governor.  It  was,  at  that  time,  no  easy  matter  to  conduct  the 
affairs  of  a  remote  settlement,  where  the  machinery  of  government  was 


130 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 


insufficient  of  itself'  to  control  a  mixed  community,  whose  interests  were 
in  constant  conflict  with  those  of  the  trading  company  which  held  the 
reins  of  power.  The  very  conditions  of  his  office  compelled  him  to 
assume  individual  responsibility,  and  to  depend  upon  his  own  private 
judgment  in  a  thousand  instances,  the  importance  of  which  we  can  now 
imperfectly  estimate.  His  faults  sometimes  glare  upon  us  in  a  most 
blinding  manner;  but  with  all  his  apparent  fondness  for  ostentation 
of  command,  he  does  not  seem  to  have  been  open  to  the  charge  of  inten- 
tional injustice,  and  his  purity  of  purpose  stands  out  in  indelible  con- 
trast with  the  capricious  rule  of  his  predecessor. 

He  was  formally  inaugurated,  May  27. 
The  whole  community  were  present,  and  lis- 
tened with  eagerness  to  his  well-prepared 
speech  on  the  occasion.  The  democratic 
Belgian,  Cornelis  Melyn,  afterwards  wTote, 
"He  kept  the  people  standing  with  their 
heads  uncovered  for  more  than  an  hour, 
while  he  wore  his  chapeau,  as  if  he  were 
the  Czar  of  Muscovy."  Others  who  had 
suffered  from  the  petty  despotism  of  Kieft, 
and  who  were  full  of  the  liberal  ideas  which  stuyvesant's  seai. 

were  the  birthright  of  every  Hollander,  criticised  the  haughty  bearing 
of  the  new  governor,  and  prophesied  the  character  of  his  future  govern- 
ment. When  he  earnestly  promised  that  "  every  man  should  have 
justice  done  him,"  he  was  loudly  applauded.  Kieft  stood  by  his  side 
during  the  ceremony,  and  seemed  to  think  it  fitting  that  he  should  say 
a  few  words  of  farewell  to  the  people.  He  thanked  them  for  their  fideli- 
ty to  him,  expressed  many  kind  wishes,  and  bade  them  adieu.  Only  a 
murmur  of  dissatisfaction  arose  in  response,  and  a  few  voices  above  the 
rest  were  heard  to  say,  "  We  are  glad  your  reign  is  over." 


rouTicAF.  /n'K.yrs  /.v  HinofK.  I. '51 


(MIAPTKK      l\ 


POLITICAL  EVENTS  IN   EUROPE. 

rOLITICAI.    KVKNTS    IN     KuUOl'i:.  —  IIol.LAND    AM)     IIIK,    lllll,I.AM>i;i;-..     -'I'lIK    SAItliArll     IN 

Nkw  Yokk.  — TnK  Fiitsr  Suuveyous.  — Kuytkk  and  Mixyn,  and  thkiii  Tuiai,  fok 
Rebellion.  —  The  Wreck  of  the  Princess.  —  Kip.  —  Govert  Loockermans.  —  First 
Fire- Wardens. —Schools  and  Education.  —  Rensselaeiwwick  a  Power.  —  The 
Oovernor's  Failure. — Civil  War  in  England.  —  Van  Cortlandt. — Van  der 
DoNCK.  —  Mei.yn.  —  The  Quarrel.  —  Van  der  Donck  in  Holland.  —  Isaac 
Allerton. 

FKEDERICK  HEXKY,  Prince  of  Orange,  died  on  the  morning  oi' 
March  14,  1G47.  He  had  been  stadtholder  of  the  provinces  for 
twenty-two  years,  and  had  reached  his  sixty-tliirtl  birthday.  His  death 
tended  directly  towards  drawing  to  a  close  the  eighty  years'  war, 

.V  .     .  1647. 

which  had  cost  Spain  oyer  fifteen  hundred  millions  of  ducats. 
His  office  descended  to  his  son,  William  II.,  by  an  act  of  reversion 
which  the  States  passed  in  1631.  The  young  prince  was  the  husl)and 
of  Mary,  daughter  of  Charles  I.  of  England.  He  was  fidl  of  military 
ambition  and  reaily  to  buckle  on  his  armor,  but  the  nation  distrusted 
Ills  inexperience  and  entered  immediately  into  negotiations  for  peace. 
France  was  a  snag  in  the  way,  for  a  time,  through  a  variety  of  conflicting 
interests.  The  French  ministers  were  bent  on  preventing  the  consimi- 
niation  of  the  treaty,  even  resorting  to  countless  intrigues  when  other 
means  failed.  It  was  finally  signed  by  the  representatives  of  the  two 
nations,  in  January,  1648,  at  jVIunster.  It  was  at  once  ratified  by  Philip 
IV.  and  by  the  several  States  of  the  Netherlands.  The  recognition  of 
the  sovereignty  of  the  Dutch  Ee}Hiblic.  was  so  absolute  that  an  ambassa- 
dor was  actually  sent  to  the  Hague  from  Spain,  before  Philip  himself 
received  one  from  the  Dutch.^ 

Of  the  seven  Dutch  States,  Holland  was  the  most  important,  by  reason 
of  its  dense  population  and  great  wealth ;  hence  its   name  was  often 

1  Corps  Dip.,  VI.  429,   4.'')0.     Barnagc  Amales  des  Prov.,  Un.   I.   102.     Grattam,   262. 
Davis,  II.  64.5,  649. 


132  HISTORY    OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YOBK. 

applied  to  the  coufederacy  by  way  of  eminence.  It  embraced  but  a 
small  portion  of  territory,  chiefly  of  made  gxound,  which  was  so  loose 
and  spongy  that  high  winds  sometimes  tore  up  large  trees  by  the 
roots.  Every  inch  of  the  country  was  rendered  available  for  some  good 
pui'pose.  The  soil,  steeped  in  water,  produced  excellent  crops,  and  the 
fields  and  gardens  teemed  with  vegetation.  Canals  were  cut  in  all 
directions,  and  were  alive  with  fleets  of  barges  and  with  innumerable 
ships  of  war  and  commerce.  The  trim  villas,  and  the  quick  succession 
of  great  towns,  made  a  profound  impression  upon  travelers  and  strangers. 
Throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  there  was  a  uniform 
appearance  of  comfort,  aftiuence,  and  contentment.  Houses  and  grounds 
were  kept  in  a  condition  of  perfect  order,  the  streets  and  canals  were 
lined  with  elegant  trees,  and  the  ever-whirling  windmills  looked  as  if 
they  came  out  in  fresh  robes  every  morning.  In  no  country  were  the 
domestic  and  social  ties  of  life  discharged  with  greater  precision.  It 
matters  not  that  chroniclers  have  made  the  Dutch  subjects  of  unmerited 
depreciation.  It  has  been  stated  that  they  were  characterized  only  by 
slowness ;  and  that  the  land  was  barren  of  invention,  progress,  or  ideas. 
The  seeds  of  error  and  prejudice  thus  sown  bear  little  fruit  after  the 
reading  of  a  few  chapters  of  genuine  contemporary  personal  description. 
As  a  rule,  the  Hollanders  were  not  inclined  to  take  the  initiative  in  trade 
or  politics,  and  were  distinguished  for  solidity  rather  than  brilliancy ;  but 
it  is  absurd  to  say  "they  were  unec^ual  to  the  origination  of  any  new 
thing."  We  find  among  them  many  of  the  most  illustrious  men  of  mod- 
ern Europe,  —  politicians,  warriors,  scholars,  artists,  and  divines.  Wealth 
was  widely  diffused;  learning  was  held  in  highest  respect;  and  eloquence, 
corn-age,  and  public  spirit  were  characteristic  of  the  race.  For  nearly  a 
century  after  the  Dutch  Eepublic  first  took  its  place  among  independent 
nations,  it  swayed  the  balance  of  European  politics ;  and  the  acumen  and 
cidture  of  the  leading  statesmen  elicited  universal  deference  and  admira- 
tion. For  an  index  to  the  private  life  of  the  upper  classes,  -we  need  but 
to  take  a  peep  into  the  richly  furnished  apartments  of  their  stately  man- 
sions, or  walk  through  their  summer-houses  and  choice  conservatories 
and  famous  picture-galleries.  As  for  the  peasantry,  they  were  neat  to 
a  fault,  and  industrious  as  well  as   frugal. 

The  liberal  commercial  policy  of  the  Dutch,  and  their  great  latitude 
of  religious  faith,  attracted  people  to  their  shores  from  all  parts  of  the 
world.  Every  language  spoken  by  civilized  man  was  to  be  heard  in 
their  exchange.  The  floor  of  the  hall  in  the  Stadt  Huys  at  Amsterdam 
was  inlaid  with  marble,  to  represent  maps  of  the  different  nations  of  tlie 
earth. 


HOLLA  Xn    AX  I)    THE    IHlLLASUKUS. 


1 :{:] 


Such  was  the  counliy  vvliosc  i)euj)lu  suLtled  New  York.  All  cla-sscs 
eniij^nitetl ;  but  tliosu  who  took  the  iuo8t  active  jnirt  in  the  dii-eetioii  of 
our  infant  institutions  were,  in  intelli<,'en(e  ami  worldly  wisdom,  and  in 
all  those  sterling;'  rliaracleristics  wiiii'li  we  are  wont  to  reHjx'ct,  almxt'  I  hi; 
averaj^e  of  their  yenerution.  Tli 
tion  to  that  of  the  illitcrati 
lalM)rers  and  traders 
crossed  the  water  ^\.ls  ,me.it- 
er  than  that  lietween  the 
hi^lu-r  and  lower  ehisses  in 
any  ])()rtion  of  Kurope.  This 
fact  has  generally  been  over- 
looked by  the  writers  ol 
American  history  who  lane  ' 
imputed  wholesale  heaviness 
and  incapacity,  exce])t  in  .|;m> 
money-niaking,  to  the  Dutch  l] 
founders  of  the  metropolis  | 
As  the  blood  of  Hollam 
France,  and  England  (and, 
we  may  add,  much  of  the 
best  blood  of  those  three  na- 
tions) became  mixed  in  the 
veins  of  the  people,  it  is  easy 
to  trace  the  increase  of  men- 
tal vigor,  the  softening  of  national  prejudii-es,  miil  the  geiier; 
tion  of  opinions,  habits,  tastes,  fashions,  and  modes  of  li 
have  a  new  and  distinct  species  of  the  human  kind  in  the  New  York 
American. 

Stuyvesant  possessed  in  an  eminent  degi'ee  that  distinguishing  element 
of  greatness,  perception.  He  took  the  colony  in  at  a  glance,  and  saw 
why  there  was  so  much  dilapidation  and  discomfort.  The  Indian  war 
had  destroyed  property,  until  only  about  fifty  farms  could  be  counted 
in  the  province.  Some  of  the  colonists  had  been  killed,  and  others  had 
returned  to  Holland ;  so  that  there  were  not  to  be  found  over  three 
hundred  capable  of  bearing  arms.  The  church  in  the  fort  was  unfinished, 
and  the  timbers  rotting.  Money  which  had  been  contributed  towards 
building  a  school-house  had  been  expended  to  pay  off  the  troops  ;  and  the 
debt  w^as  still  in  arrears.  The  public  revenue  had  not  been  collected, 
and  there  were  conflicting  claims  in  waiting  to  be  settled  with  the  pa- 
troons.     In  short,  the  whole  situation  was  chaotic  in  the  extreme. 


Stadt  Huys.  of  Amsterda 


d  anialgama- 
ic,   until    we 


134  HISTORY  OF   THE   CITY   OF  XEW    YORK. 

Whatever  Stuyvesant  did,  he  did  thoroughly.  As  soon  as  he  was  iu- 
aiigurated,  he  organized  his  council.  It  consisted  of  Vice- Director  Van 
Diueklagen,  a  clever  politician  and  a  thorough  scholar ;  Fiscal  Van  Dyck, 
of  whom  little  can  be  said  in  praise ;  the  learned  and  gentlemanly  Dr. 
Lii  Montague  ;  Adriaen  Keyser ;  and  Captain  Bryan  Ne^vton.  Van  Tien- 
hoven  was  retained  in  the  office  of  secretary ;  Paulus  Van  der  Grist  was 
made  equipage-master ;  and  George  Baxter,  an  English  gentleman  of  good 
education,  was  reappointed  English  secretary  and  interpreter. 

A  court  of  justice  was  established,  over  which  Van  Dincklagen  was 
appointed  presiding  judge.  Stuyvesant,  however,  reserved  the  right  to 
preside  in  person  whenever  he  should  think  proper,  and  required  that 
his  own  opinions  should  be  consulted  in  important  matters. 

Proclamations  were  issued  with  marvelous  rapidity.  The  first  on 
record  relates  to  the  Sabbath.  Experience  had  long  before  yielded,  upon 
every  hand,  its  testimonies  to  the  wisdom  of  the  Divine  institution. 
Then,  as  now,  it  was  esteemed  the  duty  of  government  to  protect  it,  and 
to  confirm  to  the  people  the  material  and  vital  benefits  which  it  is  so  well 
calculated  to  secure.  As  a  means  of  social,  moral,  and  physical  health, 
and  as  a  measure  of  industrial  economy,  if  we  had  no  Sabbath,  the  ordi- 
nation of  one  would  come  directly  within  the  scope  of  legislation.  Stuy- 
vesant was  possessed  with  a  profound  sense  of  its  importance  as  a  direct 
means  for  the  establishment  and  perpetuation  of  a  pure  Christianity  in 
this  country ;  and  for  his  sentiments  and  his  efforts  in  that  dii'ection 
he  deserves  to  be  honored  to  the  remotest  posterity.  Another  proclama- 
tion forbade  drunkenness  and  profanity ;  and  still  another  prohibited  the 
sale  of  liquor  and  fire-arms  to  the  Indians,  on  pain  of  death.  Strict  laws 
were  instituted  for  the  protection  of  the  revenues,  which  had  been  de- 
frauded by  the  introduction  of  foreign  merchandise  in  vessels  running 
past  Manhattan  in  the  night.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  one  of  the 
proclamations  on  that  subject :  • — 

"  Any  one  is  interdicted  from  liaving  the  hardilioud  to  go  into  the  interior 
with  any  cargoes  or  any  merchandise ;  but  they  shall  leave  them  at  tlie  usual 
places  of  deposit  and  there  Avait  for  traffic." 

The  usual  place  for  vessels  to  anchor  was  under  the  guns  of  the  fort, 
near  a  queer  little  hand-board,  which  stood  on  the  watei''s  edge.  To  re- 
plenish the  treasury,  taxes  were  levied  on  liquors,  and  the  export  duties 
on  peltries  were  increased.  All  outstanding  tenths  due  from  the  impover- 
ished farmers  were  called  in,  but  a  year's  grace  for  the  payment  was  allowed 
in  consideration  of  losses  by  the  war.  The  people  grumbled.  Who  wiU 
pay  taxes  with  a  cheerful   countenance,  paiticularly  when   it  is  at  the 


'/'///■;  1'11,'ST  srnvKYims  i;};") 

supivino  I'oiuinuinl  ot  an  imlix  idiial,  and  lliionj^li  llir  williliolilin^  ol'  his 
l)iitliri;4lit,  tlu!  rnincliisc  '  llnl  Stuyvcsiint's  niilituiy  tiiiiiiiii;^  niiidt;  liini 
iin|H'ri()Us  ;  and,  in  point  nl'  lad,  liis  instnictiuiis  iioni  tlii-  \Vt!st  India 
('onipanv  «;a\'i'  liini  less  discivtittnaiv  power  tliiiii  hits  l)ci.;ii  j,'eni!mlly  .sup- 
posed, lie  must  j^ovcrn  iibsolnlt'ly  ;  and  Ik;  was  l»y  no  means  liarkward 
in  obeyiuj"  sueh  instructious. 

Workmen  were  employed  to  put  the  Ibrt  in  rej)air ;  and  others  were 
en<>aj;ed  to  complete  the  church,  of  which  Stuyvesant  at  once  became  u 
member  aud  set  an  example  ol'  devout  Sabbath  woi-shi]).  The 
little  village,  with  its  ciooked  roads  wiudiug  round  hillocks  and 
ledges,  its  untidy  houses  with  hog-pens  and  chicken-coops  in  front  and 
tumble-down  chimneys  in  the  rear,  had  some  surveyors  aj)pointed  over 
it  in  July,  —  Van  Diucklagen,  Van  der  Grist,  and  Van  Tienhoven.  'I'lu-y 
understood  what  improvements  were  needed  to  make  the  new  darp  the 
miniatiu-e  of  a  thrifty  Holland  town,  aud  were  very  energetic  in  their 
measures.  The  streets  w^ere  straightened,  even  to  the  removing  of  some 
huge  obstacles ;  nuisances  were  done  away  with ;  gi-eat  piles  of  acciunu- 
lated  rubbish  were  dumpeil  into  the  water ;  a  better  chiss  of  houses  was 
erected  under  their  supervision ;  and  all  owners  of  vacant  lots  were  com- 
pelled to  improve  them  within  nine  months  after  purchase. 

In  the  mean  time  Kuyter  and  Melyn  were  instituting  proceedings 
against  Kieft.  They  had  lost  heavily  by  the  Indian  war,  and  were 
determined  to  compel  an  investigation  of  its  causes.  They  proposed  that 
all  the  leading  men  of  the  colony  should  be  summoned  into  court  and 
examined  on  oath  in  regard  to  it.  They  prepared  a  list  of  questions  to 
be  put  to  them,  tending  to  elicit  a  train  of  evidence  that  would  ])lace 
the  matter  correctly  before  the  company  in  Holland. 

Stuyvesaut  appointed  a  commission  to  decide  ui)on  the  propriety  of 
granting  such  an  inquiry ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  members  came  together,  he 
ex])ressed  his  opinion  emphatically,  that  "  the  two  malignant  fellows  ivere 
disturbers  of  the  peace,  and  that  it  was  treason  to  coviplain  of  one's  magis- 
trates, whether  there  toas  cause  or  not."  He  had  evidently  taken  alarm  at 
the  dangerous  precedent  of  allowing  subjects  to  judge  rulers,  since  his 
own  acts  might  have  to  pass  the  ordeal.  Kieft  was  delighted  at  this 
mark  of  favor  from  the  new  governor,  and  emboldened  by  it  to 

"  '  -^  July  11. 

accuse  his  accusers.  He  had  a  double  incentive ;  personal  and 
revengeful  hatreil,  and  the  rescue  of  his  own  chai*acter  from  ignominy. 
The  following  day,  KuAler  and  Melyn  were  arrested  on  a  charge  of  "  re- 
bellion aud  sedition."  They  were  brought  to  trial  almost  immediately. 
This  trial  occupied  several  days,  and  created  the  wildest  excitement. 
Stuyvesant  occupied  the  bench,  and  Judge  Van  Diucklagen  sat  by  his 


13G  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

side.  Lawyers  were  rare  on  this  side  of  the  water,  hence  the  prisoners 
defended  themselves,  and  they  did  it  in  an  able  manner.  They  produced 
ample  proof  to  sustain  their  charges  against  Kieft,  towards  whom  they 
said  they  had  no  vindictive  feelings  \\'hatever.  They  admitted  that  in 
the  heat  of  war,  and  smarting  under  the  loss  of  property,  they  had  com- 
plained to  the  authorities  in  Holland,  but  not  to  strangers,  nor  had  any 
deception  at  any  time  been  used.  It  was  a  singidar  tribunal ;  their  case 
had  been  prejudged.     They  were  pronounced  guilty  ;  and  capital 

July  25.  .   ,  .....  ^ 

punishment  was,  tor  a  time,  seriously  contemplated.  They  were 
even  denied  the  right  of  appeal  to  the  Fatherland.  "  If  I  were  persuaded 
that  you  would  bring  this  matter  before  their  High  Mightinesses,  I  would 
have  you  hanged  on  the  highest  tree  in  New  Netherland,"  said  Stuyvesant, 
as  he  pronounced  their  sentence.  Melyn  was  banished  for  seven  years 
and  fined  three  himdred  guilders.  Kuyter  was  banished  for  three  years 
and  lined  one  hundred  and  fifty  guilders.  The  fines  were  to  be  given, 
one  third  to  the  attorney-general,  one  third  to  the  church,  and  one  third 
to  the  poor.  The  jirisoners  were  required  to  sign  a  ^vritten  promise  that, 
in  any  place  to  which  they  might  go,  they  would  never  complain,  or 
speak  in  any  way,  of  what  they  had  sufiered  from  Kieft  and  Stuyvesant. 
The  Princess  was  about  to  sail  for  Holland,  and  they  took  passage,  as  did 
also  Dominie  Bogardus,  who  had  been  so  disturbed  by  Kieft  in  his  min- 
isterial labors  that  he  resigned  his  charge  and  obtained  per- 
mission to  defend  himself  before  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam.  The 
church  was  not  left  without  a  pastor,  for  Dominie  Johannes  Backerus, 
formerly  clergyman  at  Curacoa,  who  had  accompanied  Stuyvesant  to 
New  Amsterdam,  was  installed  as  his  successor,  at  a  salary  of  fourteen 
hundred  guilders  per  annum. 

Kieft  had  managed,  during  his  few  years  in  office,  to  accpiire  a  large 
property,  which  he  turned  into  money  before  taking  his  departure  from  the 
province.  He  had  always  entertained  the  idea  that  minerals  abounded 
in  the  vicinity  of  Manhattan.  A  lump  of  mineral  paint  which  an  Indian 
displayed  during  the  trial  of  Kuyter  and  Melyn  had  been  tried  in  a  ' 
crucible,  and  yielded  three  guilders'  worth  of  gold.  This  induced  him 
to  obtain,  through  the  aid  of  the  willing  Indians,  a  variety  of  specimens, 
which  were  nicely  packed  and  taken  with  him  to  Europe.  It  was  the 
last  of  gold-finding  in  this  part  of  the  country ;  and  it  is  more  than  proba- 
ble that  all  that  was  discovered  was  brought  from  some  remote  locality. 
Kieft  sailed  in  the  Princess,  with  the  minister  and  the  exiles.  But  the 
ill-fated  vessel  never  reached  its  destination.  It  was  wrecked  on  the 
rocky  coast  of  Wales,  and  only  about  twenty  persons  were  saved.  They 
floated  on  pieces  of  the  wreck  to  the  shore.     Among  them  were  Kuyter 


riiE  wiN'H'K  OF  Tin:  ri;isci:ss. 


VM 


and  Mi'Iyii.  Kicl't,  l)i)iiiiiiio  Hof^Midus,  ii  son  of  iMclyn,  and  ei^'lity-onc 
otluMs  |H'risIii'(l.  In  tho  moment  of  aj,'ony,  when  all  hope  wa.s  al«in- 
(loiH'd,  Kii'l't  conlossed  his  injustice  towards  the  two  men  whom  he  had 
wiouLji'd,  and  l)e^';,'ed  their  for<;ivenes8.  Kuyter  and  Melyn  jiro(;ee<K'd  to 
llolhind,  where  the  company  afterwards  reversed  their  sentence,  and  they 
returned  with  honor  to  this  country. 

The  sorrowful  tidings  of  the  death  of  Duminie  Tiogardus  fell  over  the 
community  like  a  pall.  There  was  universal  sorrow.  His  wife  and 
children,  who  had  remained  behind,  were  the  recipients  of  the  most  heart- 
felt sympathy  and  consideration.  But  Kieft's  fate  excited  very  little 
feeling  ;  a  fact  which  could  not  have  escaped  the  notice  of  Stuyvesant. 

Before  the  middle  of  September,  the  pressure  of  public  sentiment  had 
Ijeen  so  great,  and  the  o})position  to  the  payment  of  the  revenues  so  spir- 
ited and  iletermined,  that  Stuyvesant  concluded  to  recognize  to  a  limited 
extent  the  principle  of  "  taxation  only  by  consent,"  whi(;h  the  Fatherland 
had  maintained  since  1477.  He  called  a  public  meeting,  and  "  Nine 
Men  "  were  chosen  to  advise  and  assist  in 
the  afl'airs  of  the  government.  This  repre- 
sentative body  consisted  of  Augustine  Heer- 
mans,  Arnoldus  Van  Hardenburg,  Govert 
Loockermans,  Jan  Jansen  Dam,  Jacob  Van 
Oouwenhoven,  Hendrick  Kij),  Michael  Jan- 
sen, Evertsen  Bout,  and  Thomas  Hall. 

Names  are  the  keys  of  family  history, 
unlocking  for  us  the  secrets  of  ancestral 
lineage.  It  is  well  known  that,  in  very 
many  cases,  members  of  distinguished  fam- 
ilies sought  here  a  field  of  enterprise  and 
action  which  was  denied  them  at  home. 
Kip^  was  one  of  those  persons,  and   his   coat-of-arms,^   engraved  upon 


1  The  De  Kype  family  formerly  lived  near  Alen^on,  Bretagne,  France.  Ruloff  De  Kype  was 
a  Roman  Catholic.  He  fell  in  battle  in  1562,  and  the  Protestants  under  Conde  burned  his 
elegant  chateau.  His  son,  Jean  Baptiste,  who  was  a  priest,  secured  his  burial  in  a  neighboring 
church,  where  an  altar-tomb  was  erected  to  his  memory,  smnnounted  by  his  arms  with  two 
crests.  The  youngest  son,  Ruloff,  settled  in  Amsterdam,  Holland,  and  became  a  Protestant. 
He  died  in  1596,  and  left  one  son,  Hendrick  (bom  1576),  who  removed  to  this  country  in  1635, 
with  his  wife  and  children.  He  had  three  sons,  Hendrick,  Jacob,  and  Isaac.  Both  himself  and 
sons  secured  large  tracts  of  land,  and  held  prominent  positions  in  the  New  Netherland  gov- 
ernment. Hendrick  married  Anna  De  Sille  in  1660,  the  daughter  of  Hon.  Nacasius  De  Sille. 
Jacob  married  Marie  La  Montagne  in  1654,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  La  Montague.  Rachel,  the 
daughter  of  the  latter,  married  Lucas  Kiersted,  iu   1 683,  the  grandson  of  Anetje  Jans. 

*  The  coat-of-arras  was  painted  also  upon  the  window  of  the  Dutch  church  in  New  Amster- 
dam. 


138  HISTORY   OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

stone,  was  used  ten  years  later  by  his  son  Jacob,  who  built  it  firmly  into 
the  wall  over  the  front  door  of  the  house  at  Kip's  Bay,  where  it  re- 
mained until  the  building  was  demolished,  in  1851.  Govert  Loocker- 
mans,  also,  was  a  man  of  good  birth  as  well  as  of  strong  character.  He 
was  married  twice  :  first  in  Amsterdam,  February,  1641,  to  Ariaentie  Jans ; 
and  second  in  New  Amsterdam,  July,  1649,  to  Maritje  (Maria),  the  widow 
of  Tymen  Jansen.  His  daughter  Maria,  who  married  Balthazar  Bayard 
in  1664,  was  born  while  on  the  voyage  to  America  late  in  the  autumn  of 
1641.  His  daughter  Jannetie  (born  1643)  became  the  second  wife  of 
Dr.  Hans  Kiersted.  His  step-daughter,  Elsie  Tymens,  was  twice  married, 
her  second  husband,  whom  she  wedded  in  1663,  being  the  celebrated 
Jacob  Leisler.  Two  sisters,  handsome  and  accomplished  women,  accom- 
panied Govert  Loockermans  to  this  country,  one  of  whom  married  Jacob 
Van  Couwenhoven ;  the  other,  Anetje  (or  Ann,  as  the  name  was  Angli- 
cised), was  married  to  Oloff"  S.  Van  Cortlandt,  in  tlie  Dutch  Church  of 
New  Amsterdam,  February  26,  1642.  Loockermans  bought  a  large  tract 
of  land  and  rented  it  out  to  laborers ;  he  owned  two  or  three  sailing 
vessels,  erected  a  store,  and  became  a  thriving  man  of  business. 

The  winter  which  followed  was  memorable  in  the  history  of  Stuy- 
vesant.  He  had  shed  his  blood  on  battle-fields  before  he  took  up  his 
abode  in  New  Netherlaud ;  but  he  had  never  encountered  such  a  snarl  of 
disputes  as  arose  about  the  boundary  lines  of  the  province.  It  was  the 
same  subject  continued  which  had  pestered  Kieft,  and  which  seemed  to 
grow  more  unwieldy  and  less  likely  to  be  settled  every  year.  He  was 
harassed  also  by  the  encroachments  of  the  Swedes  on  the  Delaware. 
And  in  the  midst  of  his  efforts  to  harmonize  the  contending  parties,  the 
Indians  exhibited  signs  of  uneasiness  because  their  promised  presents 
were  in  arrears.  They  demanded  fire-arms,  too,  of  the  Dutch ;  and,  despite 
the  new  code  of  stringent  laws,  a  contraband  trade  in  this  commodity  was 
carried  on.  On  one  occasion,  this  crime  was  charged  upon  three  hitherto 
respectable  men,  and  they  were  tried  and  found  guilty.  Stuyvesant  con- 
deumed  them  to  death ;  but  friends  intercedetl,  and  their  lives  were 
spared,  though  their  property  was  confiscated.  Stuyvesant  was  engaged 
in  frequent  wrangles  with  the  "  Nine  Men,"  who  acted  in  the  capacity 
of  legislators,  and  held  decided  opinions  of  their  own ;  and  he  had  still 
more  serious  controversies  with  the  patroons,  who  interfered  with  the 
trade  of  the  company,  and  denied  the  governor's  authority  over  them. 
The  subordinate  officers  of  the  government  were  captious  and  sometimes 
insolent,  and  all  at  once  the  people  united  with  the  New-Englanders  in 

1  A  Dutch  Bible  which  oncfi  belonged  to  Govert  Loockeimans,  and  which  is  now  in  the 
library  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  contains  memoranda  of  the  family,  written  in  Dutch. 


SCHOOLS    AM)    HhrCATIOX.  I  •{!> 

one  jjfrievous  conijtluiiit  aj,'ainst  tlu;    lii;,'li   iMistoin-liourtf   liulii's.      Verily, 
tilt!  ^^overnor's  liiu!s  Imd  imt  rallmi  in  ploasaiil  plafcs. 

lie  Iniiiul  tiiiic,  ill  tlif  midst  of  his  iiiaiiy  and  di.sa;^r(;(!al)l»! 
duties,  to  tliiidx  a  little  al..mt  llie  Icehic  setlleiMciit,  wliicli  was  cer- 
tainly in  great  need  nj'  friendly  eare. 

In  dune  of  that  year,  the  first  "  firi'-wardciis  "  were  ai)iininle<l,  at  hitj 
su^estion.  They  were  to  inspect  the  chimneys  hetwtien  tlu;  tori 
and  the  Fresh  Water  Tond.  Their  names  were  Adriaen  Keyser, 
Thomas  Hall,  Martin  C'regier,  and  Uecjrge  Woolsey.  Fur  a  foul  chimney, 
the  owner  was  fined  three  guilders.  If  a  liouse  was  burned  through  care- 
lessness in  that  respect,  the  occupant  was  fined  twenty-five  guilders. 
The  fines  were  to  be  used  to  buy  hooks,  ladders,  and  buckets ;  but  it  was 
several  years  before  the  fund  became  large  enough  to  invest  to  any 
advantage. 

There  were  many  little  taverns  si)ringing  u})  all  over  the  lower  part 
of  the    island,  and  Stuyvesant  took  it  upon  himself  to   inspect  them; 
for   he   feared,  with  reason,  that   they  seriously  endangered    the 
morals  of  the  people,  since  they  were  but  fountains  of  bad  liquor, 
and  the  habitiuil  resort  of  Indians  and  negroes.     He  made  it  therefore  an 
indictable  offense  to  keep  one  open  without  a  license,  and  he  required  all 
those  who  received  licenses  to  procure  or  build  better  buildings  "  for  the 
adornment  of  the  town."     He  also  issued  a  proclamation  that  no  hogs 
and  goats  should  for  the  future  be  pastured  between  the  fort  and  Fre-sh 
Water  Pond,  except  within  suitable  inclosures.     As  the  autunni  rolled 
round,  he  established  a  weekly  market,  which  was  held  on  Mon- 
days.    Soon  after,  in  imitation  of  one  of  the  customs  of  Holland, 
he  institiited  an  annual  cattle-fair,  to  commence  every  first  Monday  after 
the  feast  of  St.  Bartholomew  and  continue  ten  days. 

About  that  time,  Jan  Stevensen  opened  a  small  private  school  which 
was  tolerably  well  patronized.  The  best  families  had  generally  their 
own  private  tutors  direct  from  Europe ;  but  there  were  enough  to  support 
a  school  besides,  and  the  new  teacher  found  himself  ftdly  occupied. 
Stuyvesant  was  very  earnest  in  the  matter  of  providing  means  for  "  the 
education  of  every  child  in  the  colony."  He  WTote  to  the  West  India 
Company  several  times  on  the  subject  of  estal)lisliing  a  public  school, 
which  he  said  ought  to  be  furnished  with  at  least  two  good  teachers.  He 
related  how,  for  a  long  time,  they  had  passed  round  the  plate  among 
themselves,  but  "  had  only  built  the  school  wdth  Avords,  for  the  money 
thus  collected  was  always  needed  for  some  other  purpose."  He  expa- 
tiated upon  the  great  necessity  of  instructing  the  youth,  not  only  in 
reading  and  Avriting,  but  in  the  knowledge  and  fear  of  God.     His  sugges- 


140 


IIIiiTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 


tioiis  were  treateil  with  marked  respect  by  his  employers,  and  in  course 

of  time  met  with  a  favorable  response. 

The  colony  of   Rensselaerswick    had    become,   in  the    natural    course 

of  events,  an  indejK'udent  power ;  aiul  all  efforts  on  the  part  of  the 
c()mj)any  to  induce  the  patron  to  cede  to 
them  any  of  his  rights  had  failed.  Such 
a  power  was  looked  upon  as  V(^ry  injuri- 
ous to  the  interests  of  the  province ;  and, 
since  it  could  not  be  bought  off,  Governor 
Stuyvesant  was  instructed  to  circumscribe 
its  jurisdiction  as  far  as  possible.  The  pa- 
troon,  understanding  what  innnunities  were 
claimed  for  manors  and  municipalities  in 
Europe,  would  hold  no  fellowshi])  with  a 
man  who  arrogated  to  himself  supreme  rul- 
ership  in  New  Netherland,  without  projjcr 
regard  for  the  feudal  ])rivileges  granted  by 
the  charter  of  the  conn)any.  Brant  Van 
Slechtenhorst  was  the  chami)ion  of  the 
views  of  the  late  Van  Rensselaer,  as  well 

as  of  the  riglits  of  the  infant  lord,  and,  being  of  a  resolute  temper,  ])aid 

no  attention  to  the  governor's  orders  in  any  respect. 

Stuyvesant  finally  resolved  to  visit  the  colony  in  person,  and  witli  a  mil- 
itary escoi't  T)roceeded  ut)  the  river.     The  fort  itself  and  the  land 
July  21.  •'  ^  .        ' 

immediately  about  it  were  the  projjerty  of  the  company.     Van 

Slechtenhorst  was  summoned  to  answer  for  his  contemj)t  of  authority. 
He  did  answer,  and  it  was  by  protest  to  protest.  He  charged  the  governor 
with  having  interfered  with  him,  contrary  to  ancient  order  and  usage ;  as 
if  be,  Stuyvesant,  and  not  Van  Rensselaer,  were  lord  of  the  jjatroon's 
colony.  Stuyvesant  ordered  that  no  buildings  should  be  erected  within 
a  j)rescribed  distance  from  Fort  Orange,  and  Van  Slechtenhorst  declared 
such  an  order  an  aggression  which  could  not  be  justified.  He  said  the 
soil  bidonged  to  the  patroon.  Stuyvesant  replied,  that  "the  objectionable 
buildings  endangered  tlie  fort."  Slechtenhorst  hotly  pronounced  the 
governor's  ai'gument  a  mere  pretext.  No  definite  results  were  obtained ; 
and,  after  Stuyvesant's  dejjarture,  Slechtenhorst  continued  his  im})rove- 
ments  precisely  as  before.  We  can  hardly  realize,  at  this  late  day,  that 
our  republican  State  of  New  York  once  harbored  within  its  borders 
something  so  nearly  akin  to  a  ])rincipality  ;  but  such  is  the  fact.  Stuy- 
vesant wrote  to  Van  Slechtenhorst  that  force  woulil  be  used  if  he  did  not 
desist  from  erecting  buildings  ;  but  it  only  jn-ovoked  a  characteristically 


Van  Rensselaer  Arms  on  Window. 


77/ a;  (.'oy/'ju.Yo/rs  hwiLrnH.  1  11 

iiii])U(l('iit    rcldit,  and  ii  criticisin  ii|i(iu  tli.'  Ii'diiiiriil  tnrniiility  of  llic  ^ov- 

eriKir's   Ic^al    iiioci'cdiiijrs.      Van   SIcclilciilinrst    Idllnwcd   ii]>  his  reply   U> 

Stuyvt'saiil    liy  rmliidiliii^   the  (•(iiiipaiiy's  coiiiimssary  at    I'orl,  ()niii<,'ti  to 

(jiiarry  Htoiu*  or  cut  liiulirr  w  ithiii  tlii'  iKimidarics  ol'  llu!  coliniy,  wliili-  lit; 

liimsi'll'  was  actively  putting  up  lnnls(^s  fur  the  patidoii  within   pislnl-shul 

of  the  fort. 

Stuyvesaut,  haviii-i   Wvw  inroniied  of  this  fact,  ilis|,atilicd  a   iidlitary 

forco   to  arrest  Van   Slcehtonhor.st  and   deinolisli    tlie    l.iiildin''s. 

Hoptai. 
Their  mission  was   not  performed   to   the   letter,   however.      Van 

Sleehtenhorst,  who  was  himsidf  a  shrewd  lawyer,  refused  to  appear  at   I'mi 

Amsterdam  with  his  paper's  and  commissions  nntil  a  sunnnons  should   he 

k\ually  .served  ;  and  he  demanded  a  eoi)y  in  writin;^-  of  the  jfovernor's  claims 

and  complaints.     The  Rensselaerswick  colonists  were  an^'cred  at  Stuyves- 

ant's  hostile  movements,  and  the  Mohawk  savages  were  wiili  dillii  idly  re- 

straineil  from  attacking  the  soldiers.      After  nnicli  eonfusinn,  tlic  luilitary 

company  was  witlidrawn,  tlu;  housi's  werc^  lei't  standing,  and  matters  con- 

tinueil  unsellU'd. 

Dominie  Megapolensis  asked  his  dismi.ssion  from  the  chuivli  at  IJeiis- 
selaerswick  during  the  siunmer,  as  did  also  Dominie  IJackerus  from 
the  cluirch  at  New  Amsterdam,  l)oth  gentlemen  wishing  to  return 
to   Em-ope.     The  Cla.ssis  of  Amsterdam    was   then    petition(Hl    for  "old, 
experienced,  and  godly  ministers" ;  hut   although  e\cry  ell'nri  was 
made,  and   there  were  many  cousnltations  held  in   Holland  with""''' 
the   Directors  of  the  company  and  the  heirs  of  Van  IttMisselaer,  it  was 
diHicult  to  find  "  experienced  "  ministers  willing  to   undeitake  such  "  a 
far  distant  voyage." ' 

The  Dutch  could  not  fail  to  see  that  the  colonies  of  their  Knglish  nitigh- 
bors,  where  neither  patroons  nor  lords  nor  princes  were  known,  were  much 
more  nourishing  than  their  own;  and  they  comjdained  bitterly  to  the  gov- 
ernor. He  had  made  the  same  observations,  Init  could  not  remedy  the 
evils  that  were  retarding  the  progress  of  New  Netherland  ;  and  he  was 
unreas(jnably  jealous  of  any  attemi)t  on  the  jjart  of  others  to  institute 
reforms.  Again  a  long  correspondence  about  boundaries  ensued  with  the 
New  England  authorities,  and  the  tone  of  it  was  exceedingly  bitter. 

Retaliation  was  threatened.  Then  Stuyvesant  was  accused  f)f  trying  to 
instigate  the  Indians  to  rise  up  against  the  English.  He  ])romptly 
vindicated  himself  and  demanded  an  investigation.  In  the  mean 
time  he  bad  written  to  the  West  India  Company,  praying  that  the 
boundary  between  the  Dutch  and  English  provinces  might  be  settled  in 
Europe.  But,  at  this  time,  the  distracted  condition  of  affairs  tluM'c  in- 
1  Cor.  Classis  Amst. 


142  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  ^EW   YOIiK. 

duced  the  company  to  instruct  their  governor  "  to  live  with  his  neighbors 
ou  the  best  terms  possible." 

Every  great  European  event  affected  the  prospects  of  the  Americiui 
colonies.  Civil  war  was  now  raging  in  England.  Charles  I.  was  a 
prisoner  in  the  hands  of  his  subjects.  He  might  perhaps  have  reigned  to 
the  end  of  a  peaceful  life,  if  he  had  been  content  to  rule  as  a  constitutional 
sovereign.  At  the  same  time,  the  Parliament  party  went  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  constitution  in  their  desire  to  preserve  the  constitution. 
The  unfortunate  king  was  tried,  condemned,  and  executed  in  front  of  his 
own  bantpietiug-haU.  As  he  stood  upon  the  scaffold,  Gregory  Brandon, 
his  executioner,  fell  ou  his  knees  before  him  and  asked  his  forgiveness. 
"  No ! "  said  the  king ;  "  I  forgive  no  subject  of  mine  who  comes  delib- 
erately to  shed  my  blood."  The  king  spoke  as  became  the  chief 
magistrate  and  the  source  of  the  laws  which  were  violated  in  his  mur- 
der. He  took  off  the  medallion  of  the  order  of  the  Garter,  and  gave  it  to 
Juxon,  saying  with  emphasis,  "  Remember  !  "  Beneath  the  medaUion  of 
St.  Geoige  was  a  secret  spring  which  removed  a  plate  ornamented  with 
lilies,  under  which  was  a  beautiful  miniature  of  his  beloved  Henrietta. 
The  warning  word  which  has  caused  so  many  historical  surmises  evidently 
referred  to  the  fact  that  he  had  parted  with  the  portrait  of  his  wife  only  at 
the  last  moment  of  his  existence.  Queen  Henrietta  had  escaped  to  the 
Louvre  ;  and  her  second  son,  James,  was  with  her  at  the  time  she  received 
the  terrible  news.  Her  eldest  daughter,  Mary,  was  the  wife  of  William 
II.,  Prince  of  Orange ;  and  thither  Charles,  Prince  of  Wales,  and  his 
brother  James  repaired  for  safety,  while  the  broken-hearted  queen 
retired,  with  one  or  two  of  her  ladies,  to  St.  Jacques,  the  Convent  of 
the  Carmelites. 

But  though  England  was  declared  a  republic,  the  monarchical  principle 
.survived.  There  could  be  no  republic  ;  and  there  was  no  republic.  Polit- 
ical knowledge  was  not  sufficiently  advanced.  It  is  as  impossible  to 
jump  from  monarchy  to  democratic  equality,  as  to  lay  out  new  streets  in 
ii  day  through  a  city  that  is  already  crowded  with  massive  structures. 
Cromwell  saw  the  impossibility  of  a  representative  government,  and 
wished  to  become  king ;  but  the  army,  which  was  composed  of  republi- 
cans who  acted  conscientiously,  would  not  allow  it.  He  would  have 
ruled  constitutionally  if  he  could ;  but  by  him  the  Englisli  would  not  be 
so  ruled.  He,  liowever,  managed  England's  affairs  far  more  wisely  than 
they  had  ever  been  managed  by  a  Stuart,  though  with  an  iron  hand  which 
he  did  not  condescend  to  cover  with  a  velvet  glove. 

It  was  not,  therefore,  a  favorable  moment  for  the  Dutch  to  quarrel  with 
England  or  her  colonies  about   mere  boundary  lines.     But   the   "pride 


IM.V    COUTLAShT. 


143 


and  obstiiiiu-y  "  of  Stuyvesiint  (lor  so  liis  fierce  cner<]fy  was  calle<l)  was 
iiu'rcasiajf  the  iiuinkT  of  his  opponents  at  an  alannin<,'  rate.  At  lln- 
second  yearly  election  of  tlu;  "  Nine  Men,"  Adriaen  Van  der  Donck  and 


tli(^  able  and  res])ected  Ololl' 
the    lioard.      Van    (".pitlaiull 


Cortlandt  Arms. 


S.  Van  Cortlandt  were  cluwen  nienibers  of 
was  a  thriving'  merchant  and  nnr  of  the 
riciiest  men  in  New  Amsterdam  His 
estate,  or  a  ])ortion  of  it,  lay  on  the  west 
side  of  Broadway,  near  the  street  which 
perpetuates  his  name.  The  "  Nine  Men," 
at  one  of  their  sul)se(iuent  meetinj^s,  deter- 
mined upon  sendinjf  a  dele<fation  to  Hol- 
land to  demand  certain  rel'orms  anil  regu- 
lations which  had  l)een  promised  by  the 
company,  and  waited  for  patiently  in  vain. 
They  asked  permission  to  convene  the  peo- 
ple, to  confer  on  the  subject  "  how  expenses 
should  be  defrayed,"  etc.  Stuyesant  de- 
clined grantin<^f  their  request,  and  told 
them  in  writing  "  that  communications 
must  be  made  with  the  company  through 
the  governor,  and  his  instructions  followed." 

The  "  Nine  Men  "  thought  ditteveutly.  Tlioy  })romised  Stuyresant  to 
send  no  document  to  Holland  without  giving  him  a  copy,  but  pronounced 
his  last  demand  "  unreasonable  and  antagouistical  to  the  welfare  of  the 
country."  As  he  w(jTild  not  allow^  the  people  to  be  convened,  a  committee 
from  the  "  Nine  Men  "  went  from  house  to  house  to  learn  their  opinions. 
This  excited  the  governor's  extreme  displeasure,  and  various  intrigues  were 
resorted  to,  on  his  part,  to  counteract  the  influence  of  the  popular  tribxmes. 
Among  other  tilings,  he  and  his  council  summoned  a  meeting  of  delegates 
from  the  militia  and  towns-people,  to  consider  the  question  of  sending 
agents  to  the  Fatherland  on  some  important  matters,  not  named. 

The  "  Nine  Men  "  were,  nevertheless,  determined  to  carry  out  their 
l)lans.  Van  der  Donck  was  appointed  secretary,  and  was  expected  to 
keej)  a  careful  journal  of  the  proceedings.  He  lodged  in  the  house  of 
Jan  Jansen  Dam.  One  day,  in  his  absence,  Stuvvesant  sent  to  his  cluun- 
ber  and  seized  all  his  papers,  and  the  next  morning  ordered  him  to  he 
arrested  and  thrown  into  prison. 

This  high-handed  measure  was  followed  by  a  public  meeting  at  the  fort, 
consisting  of  the  governor,  council,  officers  of  the  militia,  and  depu- 
tiitions  from  the  citizens.    Van  Dincklageu,  the  Vice-Director,  had 
a  keen  sense  of  justice  ;  and,  as  his  superior  had  acted  without  his  knowl- 


144  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

edge  or  approval  in  the  matter  of  Van  der  Donck,  he  demanded  that  the 
prisoner  be  admitted  on  bail,  and  heard  in  his  own  defense.  Stuyvesant 
refused.  Angry  words  followed,  on  both  sides.  It  soon  became  evident 
that  the  majority  of  the  council  were  inclined  to  treat  Van  der  Donck 
harshly.  Van  der  Donck  himself,  seeing  the  turn  events  were  taking, 
asked  for  his  joirrnal,  that  he  might  correct  some  errors  in  it ;  but  the 
request  was  refused.     He  was  examined  a  few  days  later,  and  his 

March  16.  ,      ,  ,  ,  , .  ,     .  .  '  .        . 

conduct  condemned  as  tendmg  to  bring  sovereign  authority  into 
contempt " ;  and  he  was  thereupon  excluded  from  the  executive  council, 
and  also  from  all  legislative  authority  in  connection  with  the  "  Nine  Men." 
Van  Dincklagen  publicly  disclaimed,  and  with  great  vehemence,  his  co- 
operation in  this  war  against  the  free  exercise  of  the  right  of  petition. 

In  the  midst  of  the  excitement,  Coruelis  Melyn,  so  recently  banished 
in  disgrace,  suddenly  appeared  in  Manhattan,  restored  to  the  full  rights 
of  a  colonist,^  and  armed  with  a  summons  for  Stuyvesant  to  answer  for 
his  conduct  before  the  States-General  and  Prince  of  Orange  without 
delay,  either  in  person  or  by  attorney.  Determined  to  make  his 
triumph  as  public  as  his  former  dishonor  had  been,  he  took  ad- 
vantage of  a  meeting  in  the  church  in  the  fort,  and  demanded  that  the 
paper  he  held,  containing  the  acts  of  their  High  Mightinesses,  should  be 
read  then  and  there  by  one  of  the  "  Nine  Men."  After  a  noisy  debate,  he 
carried  his  point,  and  the  mandamus  and  summons  were  read  to  the 
assemblage  by  Arnoldus  Van  Hardenburg. 

Stuyvesant  was  stung  and  humiliated  beyond  expression,  but  replied : 
"  I  shall  honor  the  States-General  by  obeying  their  commands  ;  yet,  until 
I  am  discharged  by  the  company,  an  attorney  must  answer  for  me  in 
Holland."  He  refused  any  conversation  or  communication  with  Melyn, 
and  required  an  apology  from  each  of  his  subordinates  for  their  share  in 
the  transactions  at  the  church.  He  appointed  Van  Tienhoven  and  Jan 
Jansen  Dam,  whose  daughter  Van  Tienhoven  had  married,  as  his  repre- 
sentatives to  the  Hague.  Van  Tienhoven  was  admirably  fitted  for  this 
mission.  He  was  crafty,  cautious,  and  sharp-witted.  When  he  at- 
tempted to  defend  any  plot  or  scheme,  his  eloquence  had  aU  the  charm  of 
sincerity.  He  is  known  to  have  been  dishonest  in  a  multitude  of  ways, 
and  for  that  reason,  as  well  as  others,  he  had  become  generally  disliked 
in  the  colony.  He  had  been  so  long  a  servant  of  the  company  that  he 
was  intelligent  as  to  its  concerns  ;  and  he  knew  the  people  and  the  con- 
dition of  affairs  as  well  as  any  one  else,  and  perhaps  better.     Having 

1  Mass.  Hist.  Col.,  IX.  277.  Jolm  Wintlnop,  Jr.,  received  a  letter  from  Roger  Williams, 
saying,  "Skipper  Isaac  and  Melyn  are  come  with  a  Dutch  ship,  bringing  letters  from  the 
States-General  calling  home  this  Dutch  governor  to  answer  to  many  complaints." 


iM.v  />/■;/.•  DoxcK.  145 

(juarrelod  ])er90imlly  with  several  ol  the  '  Nine  Men, "  hu  was,  from  mo- 
tives of  poliey,  a  warm  ailvoeati"  for  {\\v,  ;,'overiior.  It  is  said  that  Iiis 
curious  tact  ami  stronj,'th  of  will  eiial>lt!(l  him  to  maintain  extraordinary 
inlluence  over  Stuyvesant  for  a  series  of  years.  He  lived  on  an  estate 
of  his  own,  wt!st  of  Pearl  Street  and  abov*^  Mai<leii  Lane,  his  land  ex- 
tendinjf  towards  Broadway. 

The  flavor  shown  by  the  States-General  to  Melyn  encoura^fed  the  "  Nine 
Men "  to  persist  in  their  efforts  for  a  bearing.  Van  der  Donck  was 
regardeil  as  a  jiolitical  martyr,  and  Melyn  was  just  in  time  to  throw  fire- 
brands adroitly  in  every  directiou.  He  was  engaged,  during  his  stay,  as 
has  since  been  supposed,  in  preparing  Brceden  liaedt,  a  quarto  tract  of 
forty-five  pages,  bearing  date  1649,  which  was  afterwards  published  in 
Antwerp,  his  native  ])lace.  Some  writers  deny  that  he  was  the  author 
of  the  work,  alleging  that  it  must  have  been  written  by  a  lawyer.  So 
far  as  the  dramatic  character  of  various  portions  of  it  is  concerned,  it 
is  one  of  the  best  executed  and  most  effective  of  dialogues.  It  certainly 
could  have  been  produced  only  by  a  genius.^  But  although  very  little 
is  known  of  Melyn,  we  are  not  prepared  to  discredit  his  claim  to  its 
authorship,  particularly  as  the  information  contained  in  it  must  have 
been  founded  upon  his  experience. 

It  happened,  about  that  time,  that  Stuyvesant  received  a  case  of  fire- 
arms which  he  had  ordered  from  Holland,  agreeably  to  a  suggestion  from 
the  company  that  the  best  policy  w-as  "  to  furnish  them  to  the 
Indians  with  a  sparing  hand,  lest  their  discontent  lead  them  into  ^ 
open  war."  They  were  landed  at  the  fort,  nuich  to  the  astonishment  and 
disai)probation  of  the  people,  who  began  to  accuse  the  governor  of 
doing  the  business  of  the  whole  country  on  his  own  responsibility. 
Finding  how  strongly  public  opinion  was  setting  against  him,  he  was 
obliged  to  produce  the  communication  of  his  superiors  and  explain  the 
whole  matter. 

Meanwhile,  the  "  Nine  Men  "  had  prepared  a  memorial,  in  which  all 
the  desired  reforms  w^ere  distinctly  stated,  and  a  Vcrtoogli,  or  remon- 
strance, annexed,  giving  the  reasons  and  detailing  the  grievances  of  the 
people.  Both  documents  were  drafted  by  Van  der  Donck,  and  signed 
by  each  of  the  "  Nine  Men."  The  "  Vertoogh  Van  Nieuw  Nederlandt " 
was  printed  at  the  Hague  in  1650,  in  the  form  of  a  quarto  tract  of 
forty-nine  pages.  Three  of  the  signers.  Van  der  Donck,  Couwen- 
hoven,  and  Bout,  were  sent  as  delegates  to  the  Hagiie,  and  Van  Dinck- 
lagen  wrote  a  letter  of  credence  by  them  to  the  States-General.     They 

1  Historical  Essay.     By  G.  M.  Asher. 


146  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  XEW    YORK. 

sailed  August  15.  Dominie  Backerus,  who  had  been  waited  upon  by  the 
governor  and  forbidden  to  read  from  the  pulpit  any  papers  not 
'  previously  sanctioned  by  the  administration,  and  Melyn,  were 
passengers  in  the  same  vessel.  Through  the  earnest  entreaties  of  Stuy- 
vesant,  Dominie  Megapolensis  remained  at  Manhattan,  although  his  wife 
had  sailed  a  short  time  before. 

Van  Tienhoven  had  already  been  gone  fourteen  days  when  the  dele- 
gates left  New  Netherland  ;  l)ut  he  missed  the  straight  course,  and  was  the 
last  to  aiTive  in  Holland.  He  had  with  him  a  mass  of  exculpatory  docu- 
ments, and  letters  from  Stuyvesant  to  the  States-General,  telling  them 
that  many  of  the  papers  necessary  for  his  justification  in  the  case  of 
Kuyter  and  Melyn  had  been  lost  with  the  Princess,  etc.  Also  that 
Melyn  "  had  abused  their  safe-conduct  and  behaved  mutinously,"  and 
that  he  "  would  rather  never  have  received  the  commission  of  their  High 
Mightinesses  than  have  his  authority  lowered  in  the  eyes  of  both 
neighbors  and  subjects." 
Both  parties  appeared  before  the  States-General,  and  a  tedious  exami- 
nation, occupying  the  whole  winter,  followed.  It  had  a  beneficial  effect 
upon  New  Netherland,  in  so  far  as  it  brought  the  distant  and  almost 
unknown  province  squarely  before  the  public.  It  put  the  idea  of  migrat- 
ing hither  into  the  heads  of  hundreds  of  persons.  The  West  India  Com- 
pany were  wedded  to  the  existing  order  of  things,  and  sustained  their 
governor.  They  said  those  who  took  umbrage  at  his  haughtiness  "  were 
such  as  sought  to  live  without  either  magistrates  or  law."  They  were 
not  in  favor  of  investing  the  "  Nine  Men  "  with  the  administration  of 
justice,  in  any  degree.  Melyn,  having  placed  his  cause  in  the  hands  of 
an  attorne)^  exerted  himself  to  promote  the  settlement  of  Staten  Island. 
He  interested  one  of  the  influential  noblemen  of  the  States-General, 
Baron  Van  der  Capellen,i  who,  in  company  with  some  wealthy  mer- 
chants, bought  and  equipped  a  vessel.  New  JVdherland's  Fortune,  and 
sent  her  freighted  with  farmers  and  their  families  to  the  picturesque 
island.  The  States-General  embodied  a  list  of  reforms  as  to  the  manage- 
ment of  New  Netherland  affairs,  in  a  "  Keport  "  which  was  submitted  to 
the  Amsterdam  Chamber,  accompanied  by  the  draft  of  a  Provisional 
Order,  providing  for  a  better  system  of  government.  It  provoked  deter- 
mined opposition  from  the  members  of  that  body,  and  a  renewal  of  accu- 
sations against  those  who  had  risen  up  to  injure  the  company  and  their 
servants.  A  copy  of  it,  however,  was  forwarded  to  Stuyvesant  by  Cou- 
wenhoven  and  Bout  on  their  return,  who  brought  also  letters  from  the 

'  Youkliecr  Hendriek  Van  der  C^apellen,  of  Ryssel,  was  Baron  of  Es.sels  and  Has.selt,  and 
represented  the  jiriucipality  of  Gebre  and  the  earldom  of  Ziit])lien  in  tlie  States-Cleneral. 


y.lN    DEIi    DOSCK    l.\    IKHJ.AM).  M7 

Stiites-Cicuciiil,  Ibrbuldinj,'  the  ^ovi-nior  to  molest  tliciii.  V;iii  lUu'  Donck 
leiniiiiUHl  ill  llolhiiul,  to  Wiilcli  llic  iiiU'iests  of  tin-  Nt-w  XfllKMluiid  jwo- 
plc,  and  did  not  rctuiii  to  AiiirriiM  lor  scviiral  years.  Diirin;^  that  period, 
ho  contributed  <4ieally  towards  hriii^in;,'  this  country  into  notice  and  ini- 
])rovin<i;  its  institutions.  In  lii."pL',  he  was  made  i )octor  of  l.^i\vs  at  Ixiyilen. 
lie  ilied  in  New  Amsterdam  in  l(i,"i,".,  Iravin",'  tlie  colony  ()f  Colon  Donctk, 
or  Yonkers  (his  baronial  estate),  to  his  wife,  who  sub-secjuently  married 
Hugh  O'Neal.  The  property,  after  changing  owuei-s  two  or  three  times, 
became  a  ])art  of  the  celebrated  IMiilipse  manor. 

In  the  same  vessel  with  the  delegates  came  Dirck  \;\\\  Sclicjluyne,  a 
Hague  lawyer,  who  was  licensed  to  practice  his  profession  in  New  Am- 
sterdam. He  opened  an  otUce  in  one  corner  of  a  grocery-store,  les©. 
and  hung  out  a  sign  of  "  Notary  Public."  His  commissioned  duty  -^p"' 
was  "  to  serve  process  and  levy  executions."  He  eventually  removed  to 
Rensselaerswick,  and  ten  years  later  was  secretary  of  that  colony.  In  the 
up]ier  part  of  the  same  grocery,  a  small  school  was  opened  during  the 
month  of  April  by  Jan  Cornelissen. 

Early  in  the  spring,  men  were  employed  to  r(;pair  Fort  Amstenhim  ;  but 
the  work  progressed  slowly.  The  governor  issued  another  proclamation 
forbidding  the  running  at  large  of  cows,  hogs,  and  goats,  without  a  herds- 
man, between  the  fort  and  the  company's  farm,  and  the  pasture-ground 
occupied  by  Thomas  Hall  and  the  house  of  Mr.  Isaac  AUerton.  Mr. 
AUerton  was  an  Englishman  who  came  over  in  the  Mdijflmrcr  to  Plym- 
outh, and  had  now  taken  up  his  residence  at  Manhattan. ^  He  lived  in 
a  stone  house  on  the  hill,  near  Beekmau  Street ;  and  he  also  owned  a  large 
warehouse  or  store.  He  was  in  partnership  with  (Jovert  Loockermans. 
The  merchants  of  those  days  dealt  in  every  class  of  merchandise,  and 
raised  their  own  poultry  and  pork,  as  well  as  made  their  own  butter.  A 
general  law  was  passed  that  year,  to  the  effect  that  "  inasmuch  as  the  hogs 
spoil  the  roads  and  make  them  difticnilt  of  passage  for  wagons  and  carts, 
every  man  must  stick  rings  through  the  noses  of  such  animals  as  be- 
long to  him." 

1  Isaac  AUerton  is  said  to  have  liad  the  best  head  for  business,  and  to  have  been  one  of  the 
most  stirring  persons,  among  tlie  first  settlers  of  Massaehusetts.  He  made  five  voyages  to 
England  in  the  interests  of  the  eolony  before  1631.  He  finally  quarreled  with  Plymouth  and 
removed  to  Marblehead,  whert^  he  built  a  large  fishing-house  and  several  vessels.  It  was  he 
who  sent  to  Ipswich  for  Parson  Avery  ;  and  it  was  his  ill-fated  shallop  which  was  dashed 
iigainst  the  rock,  since  known  as  "  Avery's  Rock,"  —  a  disaster,  the  story  of  which  has  been 
retold  in  one  of  Whittier's  rarest  poems.  AUerton  soon  quarreled  with  Win  thro p's  General 
Court,  which  gave  him  "leave  to  depart  from  Marblehead."  The  imitulse  which  he  gave 
to  trade  was  never  wholly  lost  ;  and,  at  this  moment,  the  finest  building  in  that  ancient 
town,  for  business  purposes,  is  "AUerton  Block,"  a  name  the  history  of  which  i.s  almost  un- 
known. 


148  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

Brewing  seems  to  have  been  a  favorite  occupation,  and  was  a  source  of 
much  profit.  Pieter  and  Jacob  Couwenhoven,  brothers,  who  came  to 
New  Amsterdam  in  1633,  made  quite  a  fortune  in  that  way,  and  car- 
ried on  at  the  same  time  a  brisk  trade  in  flour,  which  was  bolted 
'  in  windmills.  A  law,  in  the  early  part  of  1650,  required  bakers 
to  make  their  bread  of  the  standard  weight,  and  to  use  nothing  but  pure 
wheat  and  rye  flour,  as  it  came  from  the  mill.  This  precaution  was  to 
silence  the  complaints  about  the  "  poverty  and  leanness  "  of  the  common 
bread.  The  crops  were  not  good  this  year,  in  consideration  of  which  a 
law  was  made,  in  the  autumn,  forbidding  any  one  to  malt  or  brew  wheat, 
and  also  decreeing  that  no  wheat,  rye,  or  baked  bread  should  be  sold 
out  of  the  province. 

The  winter  of  1650  was  one  of  great  severity.  It  was  so  cold  that 
"  ink  froze  in  the  pen."  There  was  much  distress,  as  food  was  scarce 
and  prices  necessarily  high.  When  the  governor,  in  the  face  of  it,  vic- 
tualed the  company's  vessels  on  their  way  to  Curacoa,  the  "  Nine  Men  " 
were  surprised  and  indignant,  and  not  only  remonstrated  but  accused 
him  openly  of  "  wanton  imprudence  "  in  thus  diminishing  supplies  which 
were  already  too  scanty.  It  was  about  the  time  that  the  delegates  arrived 
from  Holland.  They  brought  with  them  arms  and  a  stand  of  colors  for 
the  burgher  guard ;  an  act  which  infuriated  Stuyvesant,  who  refused  to 
have  them  delivered.  A  great  commotion  ensued  in  consequence.  The 
"  Nine  Men  "  pronounced  it  a  tyrannical  outrage,  and  for  their  persistent 
interference  with  his  prerogative  Stuyvesant  publicly  deprived  them  of 
their  pew  in  church.  Both  parties  wrote  letters  of  accusation  to  the  au- 
thorities in  Holland ;  and,  what  is  remarkable,  the  English  residents  in 
the  province  defended  the  governor,  and  endorsed  his  sentiments,  charging 
aU  the  "  schisms  "  upon  the  returned  delegates. 

In  September,  the  long-contemplated  and  repeatedly  postponed  meeting 
of  the  Dutch  and  New  England  worthies  took  place  at  Hartford.  It  was 
hoped  to  settle  beyond  any  further  question  the  boundary  line 
Sept.  17.  ^g|..^gg^  |.]jg  ^^^  territories.  Stuyvesant  traveled  in  state,  with 
quite  a  train  of  attendants.  The  voyage  occupied  four  days.  He  was  re- 
ceived with  much  ceremony,  and  courteously  entertained  by  the  governor 
of  Hartford.  When  the  commission  assembled,  Stuyvesant  proposed  to 
carry  on  the  negotiations  in  writing.  He  gave  two  reasons  for  this  which 
had  suflicient  weight  to  prevent  any  objections  from  his  opponents  :  that 
it  would  give  greater  accuracy  to  the  proceedings,  and  that  it  would 
save  time,  as  he  could  not  speak  the  English  language  with  fluency.  But 
his  first  paper  provoked  sharp  argument  on  account  of  its  date,  "New 
Netherland,"  and  the  New  England  gentlemen  declined  to  go  on  with 


ISAAC  ALLKHTOS. 


149 


tho  business  until  "  Connecticut  "  wiis  suhstitutcd  instead.  SHiyvesant 
ai)()logize(l.  He  said  the  draft  of  tin;  papiir  had  Iteeu  substantially  a;,'reed 
\i\)o\\  by  himself  and  council  before  he  left  New  Amsterdam,  an<l  translated 
and  copied  by. his  En-flish  secretary,  (icor','e  Baxter,  on  the  vr)yaj^e  ;  as 
for  the  date,  he  supposed  it  was  yyuyvw  but  was  entirely  willing  to  com- 
ply with  their  wishes.  After  that,  tlic  discussion  of  national  and  ter- 
ritorial atul  individual  rij,dits  proceeded  slowly,  but  with  considerable  tact 
and  discretion  as  well  as  earnestness.  ()\er  a  week  had  been  consumed, 
when  they  finally  agreed  to  submit  the  issue  to  arbitratoi-s.  Simon  Hrad- 
street  and  Tliomas  Prince  were  chosen  for  New  England,  and  Tiioniiia 
Willett  and  (leorge  Baxter  for  New  Netherland.  'i'hcir  decision  was 
accepted.  It  was,  however,  never  ratified  in  England  ;  and  tlie  fact  that 
Stuyvesant  had  confided  the  interests  of  the  Diilcii  to  tw(j 
Englishmen  raised  a  storm  of  discontent  in  his  own  province. 
Vice-Director  Van  Dincklagen  had  had  no  voice  in  the  matter,  and  was 
gi-eatly  offended.  The  "  Nine  Men  "  declared  that  "  the  governor  had 
ceded  away  territory  enough  to  found  fifty  colonies  each  four  miles 
square."  There  was  a  grand  union  of  sentiment  that  it  was  an  insult 
to  the  Dutch  for  pjUglishmen  to  be  appointed  to  fix  the  English  Iwunda- 
ries.  Stuyvesant  remained  in  Hartford  some  days  after  his  business  was 
accomplished,  hoping  to  make  arrangements  whereby  the  Indians  should 
be  placed  upon  a  permanent  footing  of  good  behavior.  He  was  treated  by 
his  well-bred  neighbors  with  a  distinguished  attention,  at  which  he  was 
much  pleased.  His  return  voyage  was  exceedingly  rough,  and  his  wel- 
come home  by  an  angry  community  anything  but  cordial.  The  freedom 
of  sj)eech  of  the  "  Nine  Men "  was  so  exasperating,  tliat  he  threatened 
the  body  with  dissolution.  At  the  next  election,  he  absolutely  refused  to 
select  from  the  nominations  to  fill  vacancies  in  their  board.  Again  they 
appealed  to  the  States-General  for  the  reformation  of  this  "  grievous  and 
unsuitable  government "  ;  and  IVIelyn,  at  the  Hague,  used  his  influence  to 
the  utmost  against  the  New  Netherland  "overnor. 


150  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW    YORK. 


CHAPTER    X 

1650  - 1654. 
THE   SPIRIT   OF  POPULAR  FREEDOM. 

The  Confiscated  Vessel.  — Goveknor  Stuyvesant's  Body-Guard.  —  Rensselaerswick. 
—  The  Schuyler  Family. —The  Navigation  Act. — Rev.  Samuel  Drisius. — 
African  Slavery.  —  The  Birth  of  the  City.  —  The  First  City  Fathers.  — 
Allard  Anthony.  —  William  Beekman.  • —  The  Prayer  of  the  City  Fathers.  — 
Military  Preparations.  —  Van  der  Donck.  —  Hon.  Nicasius  De  Sille.  —  The 
Diet  of  New  Amsterdam. — Oliver  Cromwell.  —  Peace  between  England  and 
Holland. 

OUK  great  Muscovy  duke  keeps  on  as  of  old ;  something  like  the 
wolf,  the  longer  he  lives  the  worse  he  bites."  Thus  wrote  Van 
Dincklagen  to  Van  der  Donck.  The  West  India  Company,  unwilling  to 
relinquish  any  of  its  power,  Avas  arrayed  like  a  bulwark  of  iron  against 
the  spirit  of  popular  freedom  which  the  colonists  were  urging 
and  which  was  countenanced  by  the  States-General.  It  was  a 
struggle  for  the  elective  franchise,  and  its  long  subsequent  effects  were 
of  such  a  character  that,  while  few  portions  of  our  history  are  more 
obscure,  none  are  more  important  or  instructive. 

In  this  extraordinary  controversy,  the  governor,  the  West  India  Com- 
pany, and  the  English  residents  of  New  Netherland  were  on  one  side, 
and  the  States-General  and  the  Dutch  colonists  on  the  other.  "  The 
power  to  elect  a  governor  among  ourselves  would  be  our  ruin,"  was  the 
expression  of  the  English  residents,  in  a  Memorial  sent  to  the  company. 
"  I  shall  do  as  I  please,"  was  Stuyvesant's  reply  more  than  once,  when 
his  attention  was  called  to  some  order  or  suggestion  from  the  States- 
General  which  had  not  been  indorsed  by  the  Amsterdam  Chamber. 
His  mind  was  vigorous  and  acute,  and  he  never  lacked  the  courage 
to  carry  out  to  the  very  letter  the  peculiar  policy  of  his  immediate 
employers. 

Van  Dincklagen  was  a  constant  thorn  in  the  governor's  side.  He  was 
a  quick-witted,  sagacious  politician,  —  a  man  who  was  considered  eligi- 
ble to  the  highest  office,  and  who  had  accepted  a  subordinate  position  with 


THE   COXFJSCATKh    VKSSEL.  IT) I 

a  IkuI  ^nu;c.  Hi;  ^^tootl  iviuly  to  simzi;  upon  cviiiy  iiii.slako  of  executive 
jiidgnuuit,  and,  with  (;austic  satiiv,  to  hold  it  up  to  th<(  popular  view  in  its 
most  unliivorahlt'  lit^lit.  He  was  au  advocate  ol'  uo  mean  pnflensions  ; 
and  when  Mflyii  aiiivcd  in  the  Ncm  A'rthir/ii nil's  Forfum;  it  was  he 
wlio  invesljoatod  the  cause  of  the  unusually  lon<;  voyaj,'e.  He  discov- 
ered that  boisterous  seas  had  delayed  the  vessel,  that  "  water  had  fallen 
short,"  and  the  "  hist  biscuit  been  ilivided  among  the  passengei-s,"  and 
tliat.the  captain  had  been  obliged  to  put  into  Rhode  Island  to  relit  and 
ii'l)l(!nish  his  stores.  Stuyvesant  took  his  seat  upon  the  bench  l^eside 
Van  Dincklagen,  and  ])ronounceil  a  remarkable  decision.  It  was  one  of 
the  regulations  of  the  West  India  Company  that  vessels  should  not 
"  break  bulk  "  between  Holland  and  New  Amsterdam ;  and  he  took  the 
ground  that  the  delay  in  this  case  was  "  needle.ss  and  uujustiHable,"  and 
proceeded  to  seize  the  ship  and  cargo,  supposing  them  to  belong  to  Melyu. 
The  ship  was  sold  to  Thomas  Willett,  who  sent  it  on  a  voyage  to  Vir- 
ginia and  Holland.  At  the  hitter  place  it  was  replevied  by  Baron  Van 
der  Capellen,  and  after  a  protracted  litigation  the  company  was  obliged 
to  {)ay  heavy  damages. 

Melyu  again  took  possession  of  his  lands  cju  Staten  Island,  which,  in 
order  to  promote  his  greater  security.  Van  Dincklageu  had  formerly 
purchased  of  the  Earitans  in  the  name  of  Baron  Van  der  Capellen  ;  ])ut 
he  was  presently  summoned  to  Xew  Amsterdam  by  the  governor 
to  answ-er  to  various  charges.  Dreading  the  encounter,  he  failed 
to  obey ;  and,  in  consequence  of  this,  his  house  and  lot  in  the  city  were 
confiscated  and  sold  by  the  government.  Expecting  that  an  effort  would 
be  maile  to  an-est  him  at  his  country-house,  he  established  and  fortified 
a  manorial  court  on  one  of  the  petty  eminences  overlooking  what  is 
now  the  village  of  Clifton.  He  was  not  distui-bed,  but  he  was  soon 
after  accused  of  trying  to  influence  the  Indians  against  Stuyvesant,  and 
the  council  were  induced  to  i)ass  a  resolution  that  the  governor  should 
henceforth  be  constantly  attended  by  a  body-guard  of  four  halberdiers. 

Van  Dincklagen  ridiculed  this  action  on  the  part  of  his  colleagues. 
He  denied  the  absurd  stories  in  regard  to  Melyn.  He  even  volunteered 
to  bring  the  chiefs  of  the  Raritan  and  other  tribes  to  the  fort,  to  prove 
the  falsity  of  the  charge  that  "  one  hundred  and  seventeen  savages  had 
been  supplied  with  arms  and  ammunition  !  " 

About  the  same  time,  Van   Dincklagen,  with  the  assistance  of  Van 
Dyck,  prepared  and  sent  an  elaborate  protest  to  the  States-General,  in 
which  he  claimed  to  picture  the  popular  griefs  and  the  general 
dissatisfaction  of  the  colonists  with  the  administration.     When  it 
came   to   the   knowledge   of   Stuyvesant,   he   was   thoroughly  enraged. 


152  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

Without  a  moment's  hesitation,  he  ordered  Van  Dincklagen  to  be  expelled 
from  the  council  board.  The  Vice-Director  flatly  refused  to  leave,  on  the 
ground  that  his  commission  was  from  the  same  supreme  authority  as  that 
of  the  governor  himself  However  that  might  be  as  a  question  of  law, 
Stuyvesant  waited  only  until  a  file  of  soldiers  could  be  summoned,  before 
ordering  Van  Dincklagen  to  be  dragged  from  the  room  and  thrown  into 
prison.  The  affair  created  an  intense  sensation.  Van  Dincklagen's  wife 
and  daughter  went  to  the  prison  to.  see  him,  and  were  denied  admittance. 
Stuyvesant  was  denounced  by  many  as  jealous  and  exacting,  and  by 
others  warmly  applauded  for  his  prompt  action.  He  was  sustained  by 
the  majority  of  the  council.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days,  Van  Dinck- 
lagen was  released  from  confinement,  but  was  allowed  no  further  par- 
ticipation in  the  government.  He  retired  to  Melyn's  manor-house  on 
Staten  Island,  where  he  met  with  cordial  sympathy.  Van  Dyck,  because 
of  the  part  he  had  taken  in  the  complaint,  was  removed  from  office ; 
and  the  lawyer,  Schelluyne,  who  attested  the  protest,  was  forbidden 
to  practice  his  profession.  Loockermans  and  Heermans,  who  lent  some 
assistance,  were  prosecuted  and  heavily  fined. 

While  these  and  similar  events  were  agitating  Manhattan,  Van  Tien- 
hoven,  at  Amsterdam,  was  amusing  himself  by  playing  the  gallant  lover 
to  the  pretty  young  daughter  of  a  respectable  fur-merchant.  Pretending 
to  be  a  single  man,  he  won  her  affections  under  promise  of  marriage, 
and  finally  persuaded  her  to  elope  with  him  to  America.  Having  sub- 
mitted an  able  defense  of  Stuyvesant  and  his  officers  to  the  States- 
General,  he  was  about  to  embark,  when  a  message  sent  in  hot  haste  to 
the  Amsterdam  Chamber  ordered  him  to  report  immediately  at  the 
Hague  for  examination  by  their  High  Mightinesses.  The  summons  re- 
quired also  the  presence  of  his  father-in-law,  Jan  Jansen  Dam.  The  pro- 
test of  Van  Dincklagen  had  been  received,  and  Van  der  Donck  had  replied 
to  Van  Tienhoven's  defense  in  a  spirited  and  effective  manner.  Greatly 
annoyed  at  the  delay.  Van  Tienhoven  proceeded  to  the  Hague.  He  was 
arrested,  the  very  evening  of  his  arrival,  on  the  charge  of  adultery.  In 
the  course  of  two  or  three  days  he  made  his  escape,  and  reached  the 
vessel  bound  for  New  Amsterdam  in  time  to  secure  his  passage.  The 
capture  of  the  cargo  of  a  Portuguese  merchant-vessel  on  the  voyage  is 
supposed  to  have  subsequently  secured  his  acqmttal ;  but  he  was  hope- 
lessly disgTaced.  His  return  to  New  Amsterdam  was  a  misfortune  to  the 
community.     He  was  likened  to  "an  evil  spirit  scattering  torpedoes." 

Eensselaerswick  was  so  far  from  the  capital  that  it  was  not  affected 
by  these  disturbances.  It  continued  to  grow,  while  the  progress  of 
New  Amsterdam  was  seriously  retarded.     Van  Slechtenhorst  had  stood 


liKSSSKI.A  i:i!S  \VI(  'K. 


I  ').'{ 


out  lK)klly  agiiiust  the  governor,  ami  cxteiidetl  the  limits  of  the  palroon's 
coh)ny,  until  he  had  at  last  heeii  arrested  and  inijtrisoncd  lor  lour  months 
in  the  fort  at  New  Amsterdam.  He  made  his  (vscaj)e  hy  sceretinj,'  him- 
self on  a  sloop  bound  for  All)auy,  the  skipper  (jf  which  he  had  fully 
indemnified  against  possible  harm.  Stuyvesant  arrested  the  skipper  on 
his  return,  and  Kned  him  two  hundred  and  tifty  guilders  and  costs.  Van 
Sleehtenhorst  estimated  the  whole  expense  of  his  luckless  trif)  down  the 
Hudson  at  about  one  thousand  guilders.  He  soon  after  issued  an  order 
that  all  the  householders  and  freemen  of  his  colony  should  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  patroon  and  his  representatives.  The  occasion 
of  this  was  the  fear  that  Stuyvesant  would  execute  his  threatened  pur- 
pose of  extending  the  jurisdiction  of  Fort  Orange,  and  so  sever-  ^^^  ^ 
iug  from  the  colony  the  populous  little  village  of  Beverwyck, 
which  lay  close  to  and  around  the  citadel,  and  which  was  every  day 
becoming  more  valuable.  Among  those  who  bound  themselves  "  to 
maintain  and  support  offensively  and  defensively "  the  interests  of 
Rensselaerswick,  was  John  Baptist  Van  Rensselaer,  a  younger  half- 
brother  of  the  patroon,  who  had  just  been  appointed  to  the  magis- 
tracy of  the  colony.^  Philip  Pietersen  Schuyler,  the  ancestor  of  the 
American  family  of  Scbuylers,  had  been  in  Rensselaerswick  a  little  more 
than  a  year,  and  had  also  taken  the  oath 
of  allegiance  to  the  ]iatroon.  He  had 
recently  married  MargTitta,  one  of  the 
daughters  of  the  cool  and  fearless  Van 
Sleehtenhorst.  He  was  a  young  man  of 
ability,  and  was  already  actively  assisting 
in  the  management  of  public  affairs.  To 
prepare  the  reader  for  an  acquaintance 
with  the  different  members  of  his  family 
as  they  shall  be  introduced  from  time  to 
time  in  future  chapters,  we  digress  a 
moment  to  speak  of  his  ten  children.^ 
Giiysbert  was  the  eldest  son,  —  a  man 
of  whom  very  little  is  kno^vn.  Gertrude 
was  the  eldest  daughter,  beautiful,  edu- 
cated, and  high-bred,  —  indeed,  the  belle 
of  Rensselaerswick,  prior  to  her  marriage  and  removal  to  New  Amster- 
dam as  Mrs.  Stephanus  Van  Cortlandt.  Alida,  the  second  daughter,  was 
scarcely  less  attractive  than  her  sister.     She  married,  when  only  seven- 

^  Holgate's  American  Geanology. 

*  O'Callaghan,  II.  174,  177.     La  Potherie's  History  of  North  America. 


Schuyler  Arms  on  Window. 


154 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW    YORK. 


Schuyler  Mans  on  at  the  Flats  in  1875 

merit  ot  New  Ncthtiluu 
luus   tor    trade    tlitui    toi 
quite    young     to    2\l\\     An 


teen,  the  Eev.  Mcolaus  Van  Rensselaer ;  and,  after  liis  death,  the  famous 
Piobert  Livingston.  Peter,  the  next  son  in  the  order  of  age,  was  the  first 
mayor  of  Alljany.     He  was  the  great  colonel  whose  wise  counsels  and 

personal  exertions  at  one 
period  preserved  the  prov- 
ince from  an  Indian  war  ; 
and  who,  at  another,  es- 
corted five  Indian  chiefs 
to  England  to  persuade 
the  government  to  drive 
the  French  out  of  Canada. 
In  1719,  as  the  oldest 
member  of  the  executive 
council,  he  assumed,  for  a 
season,  the  entire  govern- 
Brandt,  who  had  more  ge- 
command,  went,  when 
ttidiiu  '-^  where  he  married,  in  1682, 
Cornelia  Van  Cortlandt,  the  daughter  of  Oloff  S.  Van  Cortlandt,  and 
sister  of  Stephanus.  Arent  likewise  took  up  his  abode  in  the  metropolis.^ 
Sibylla  died  in  infancy.  Philip  settled  in  Albany.  John,  the  youngest 
son,  held  a  captain's  commission  in  169U,  when  only  twenty-three  years  of 
age,  and  led  into  Canada  an  expedition  which  achieved  a  brilliant  victory 
over  the  French  and  Indians.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  General  Philip 
Schuyler,  of  Revolutionary  memory.  The  youngest  daughter  was  Mar- 
gritta.  The  elder  Schuyler  died  at  Albany,  March  9,  1684.  His  will 
bears  date  May  1,  168.3,  0.  S. 

On  New  Year's  evening,  the  soldiers  at  Fort  Orange  became  hilarious, 

and  a  few  of  them  started  out  on  a  frolic.     Coming  in  front  of  the  house 

1658.  of  Van  Slechtenhorst,  they  ignited  some  cotton  and  threw  it  upon 

Jan.  1.  the  roof     The  inmates   almost  immediately  discovered   the  fire, 

and  by  active  exertions  saved  the  building  from  destruction.     The  next 

day,  a  son  of  Van  Slechtenhorst  met  some  of  the  soldiers  in  the  street,  and 

accosting  them  in  relation  to  the  mischief  they  had  occasioned, 

Jan.  2.  '^  .;  > 

threatened  them  sharply ;  whereupon  they  charged  upon  him, 
threw  him  down,  and  having  severely  beaten  him,  dragged  him  through 
the  mud.  Schuyler  hastened  to  the  assistance  of  his  brother-in-law; 
but  Dyckman,  the  commander  of  the  fort,  who  stood  by,  swore  he 
would  run  him  through  with  his  drawn  sword  if  he  did  not  keep  out  of 
the  way.     Others  who  rushed  into  the  fray  received  severe   blows. 

1  He  married,  Oct.  25,  1672,  Maria,  daughter  of  Kiliau  Van  Reii.sselaer. 
'  The  ancestor  of  the  New  Jersey  branch  of  tlie  family. 


1 


THE    STORY    OF    THE    GREAT    METROPOLIS 


This  work  lias  been  long  anticipated  with  much  interest.     Its  preparation  has  occupied  a  period  of  over  ten 
In  scope  it  is  a  complete  literary  picture  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  our  great  American  metropolis.     It  is  comment 
by  scholars  to  all  classes  of  readers  as  "  a  piece  of  choice  tapestry  that  will  hold  its  color  and  retain  its  intrinsic 
amid  the  living  literature  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  many  of  the  popular  books  of  to-day  shall  long  ago  have  b 
dea,d." 

The  well-known  reputation  of   Mrs.  LAMB  for  accuracy  in   historical    detail,  as  well  as   literary  skill  in  weavi| 
together  and  condensing  facts,  added  to  fine  perceptions  and  a  graceful  and  felicitous  charm  of  expression  giving 
and    sparkle  to  every  pictured  thought,  is  a  guarantee  that  this  valuable  work  will  be  even  more  than  it  promises, 
it  cannot  fail  to  take  deservedly  high  rank  among  standard  authorities. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  volume  Mrs.  LAMB  sketches,  in  outline,  the  condition  of  the  Old  World  prior  lo  i' 
s>.  .,v.;](iit  of  the  New,  and  then  proceeds  to  give  a  careful  analysis  of  the  two  great  Commercial  Corporations  which  hm 
su>  ii  a  n'jise  all- -over  Christendom  about  that  time,  and  to  which  New  York  owes  its  origin.  Her  gifted  pen  removes  nn 
of  !  he  dimness  and  dullness  with  which  the  early  settlement  on  Manhattan  Island  has  hitherto  been  obscurctl  ;  i 
the.  narrative  widens  in  interest  as  the  little  colony  advances.  Indian  wars,  the  birth  of  the  city,  its  various  ruli  i-, 
subjUj-^atiiOn  by  the  English,  its  after  vicissitudes,  the  Revolution  of  1689 — with  its  causes  and  effects — political  di^m 
ances  an/I  the  continuous  chain  of  events  which  culminated  in  the  American  Revolution,  are  all  deltly  woven  int' 
connected  story  as  fresh  and  readable  as  a  work  of  fiction.  From  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  in  1776,  (he  ami 
gathers  up  the  threads,  and  gives  an  accurate,  artistic,  and  comprehensive  account  of  the  City,  in  its  successive  1  lii 
of  development  during  the  century,  to  its  present  prominence  at  the  time  of  the  celebration  of  the  first  national  In 
day.     Prominent  persons  are  introduced  in  all  the  decades,  with  choice  bits  of  family  history  and  glimpses  of  soci.il  I 

Mrs.  lamb  is  a  member  of  the  New  York    Historical  Society,   to  whose   unrivalled    archives  she  has  had  un 
strained    access.     Many  of   the  old    families  of   the    City  have    freely  furnished    information   specially  interesting    to 
present  generation,  since  it  throws  into  the  New  History  the  charms  of  revelation.     The  book  will  contain  maps  of 
City  in  the  different  periods,  and  several  rare  portraits  from  original  paintings  which  have  never  before  been  engraw 
The  illustrations  are  by  leading  artists  and  are  all  of  an  interesting  character. 


I 


Notice     to      Subscribe  i^s  . 

Every  Subscriber  to  The  History  of  New  York  City  is  expected  to  take  the  whole  number  of  "  Parts  "  ) 
complete  the  work.  Subscribers  changing  their  residence  should  immediately  notify  the  Publishers,  or  their  Agt 
who  received  the  order,  and  give  NEW  ADDRESS  IN  FULL.  Payment  for  the  Parts  should  only  be  made  1 
delivery,  NEVER  IN  ADVANCE. 

A  strict  observance  of  these  suggestions  will  save  Subscribers  annoyance  and  loss,  and  enable  the  Publish  s 
to  fill  their  orders  in  a  prompt  and  advantageous  manner. 

A.  S.  BARNES  &  CO.,  Publishers,  111  and  113  William  St.,  N.    . 

GENERAL     AGENCIES: 
CHICAGO,   BOSTON,   PHILADELPHIA,  WASHINGTON,   AND   NEW   ORLEANS. 


PART    4. J 


[Price  50  couts. 


-^'"""^AfSf  BARN  D 

NEAV  VORIC  AND  CHIC^KGO 

Copyright,  1876,  A.  S.  Barnbs  &  Co. 
SOLID    01^TX.^2'    B'Z'    STJBSCR-IFTIOlSr. 


Ex  Htbrtfi 


SEYMOUR    DURST 


-f     Tort  ntfua/    ^  im/lt.rjam.  o£  Je  MaiJiatarv 


IVhen  you  leave,  please  leave  ihis  book 

Because  it  has  been  said 
"Ever  thing  comes  t'  him  who  watts 

Except  a  loaned  book." 


I 


^  -t 


I 


EDICTS   OF   SrryVKSA.XT.  LOfj 

Tlio  friends  of  Van  Slochtenhorst  vowed  revenj^e ;  and,  thi.s  cruiiin;,'  to 
Dycknian's  oiuh,  he  ordered  the  guns  of  tlie  fort  to  he  loaded  witli  graj)C 
ami  tunicd  upon  tlie  patroon's  house,  decdariufr  he  would  !)atter  it  down. 
Wliile  tliiiiLjs  were  in  this  chaotic  state,  there  amved  from  Stuyvesant 
some  j)laeards,  which  dechired  the  jurisdiction  of  Fort  Orange  to  ex- 
tt'ud  over  a  circumference  of  six  hundred  paces  (about  one  hunched  and 
filly  rods)  around  the  fortress.  These  Dyckman  was  ordered  to  puljlisL 
With  nine  armed  men,  the  military  commander  proceeded  to  the  court- 
room where  the  magistrates  of  the  colony  were  in  session,  and  de-  ^^^ 
manded  that  the  placards  shoidd  be  published  through  the  colony 
with  the  somul  of  a  bell.  As  it  was  contrary  to  law  for  any  man  to  enter 
another's  jurisdiction  with  an  armed  posse  without  the  previous  consent 
of  the  local  authorities.  Van  Slechteuhorst  ordered  the  intruder  to  leave 
the  room,  exclaiming,  "  It  shall  not  he  done  as  long  as  we  have  a  drop 
of  blood  in  our  veins,  nor  until  we  receive  orders  from  their  High 
Mightinesses   and  our  honored  masters." 

Dyckman  retired,  but  returned  presently  with  an  increased  force.  He 
ordered  the  porter  to  ring  the  bell,  and  that  being  vigorously  opposed, 
he  proceeded  to  the  fort  and  caused  the  bell  there  to  be  rung  three 
times.  He  then  returned  to  the  steps  of  the  court-house  and  directed  his 
deputy  to  read  the  placards.  As  the  latter  was  about  to  obey,  Van 
Slechteuhorst  rushed  forward  and  tore  the  paper  from  his  hands,  "  so 
that  the  seals  fell  on  the  ground."  Some  violent  words  followed;  but 
young  Van  Rensselaer,  standing  by,  said  to  the  crowd,  "  Go  home,  my 
good  friends  !  't  is  only  the  wind  of  a  cannon-ball  fired  six  hundred  paces 
off." 

A  messenger  was  sent  down  the  river  to  Stuyvesant,  who  at  once  for- 
warded another  placard  to  Dyckman,  with  orders  to  publish  it,  and  also  to 
affix  copies  of  it  to  posts  erected  on  the  new  line,  north,  south,  and  west 
of  the  ibrt.  Within  these  bounds,  for  the  future,  no  house  was  to  be  hmlt, 
except  by  the  consent  of  the  governor  and  council,  or  of  those  authorized  to 
act  for  them.  This  act,  severing  forever  the  village  of  Beverwyck  from 
Van  Rensselaer's  colony,  was  pronounced  illegal,  and  in  direct  violation 
of  the  sixth  article  of  the  charter  of  1629.  Van  Slechteuhorst  sent  a 
constable  to  tear  the  posters  down  contemptuously,  and  drew  up  a  long 
remonstrance  against  the  unbecoming  pretensions  of  the  governor,  who 
he  declared  had  no  authority  over  the  colony  whatever.  The  patroon's 
lands,  he  said,  had  been  erected  into  a  perpetual  fief,  which  no  order 
emanating  from  the  West  India  Company  was  sufficient  to 
destroy.  This  paper  w^as  denounced  hy  the  governor  and  coun- 
cil as  a  "libellous  calumny."     Dyckman  set  afloat  a  nmior  that  Stuy- 


156  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

vesant  was  about  to  visit  Fort  Orange,  and  that  he  was  preparing  a  gal- 
lows for  Van  Slechtenhorst,  his  son,  and  young  Van  Rensselaer. 

Stuyvesant,  after  dealing  with  a  number  of  refractory  persons  in  New 
Amsterdam,  some  of  whom  he  put  in  confinement  and  bastinadoed  others 
with  a  rattan,  repaired  to  the  troubled  regions  at  the  north.  He  sent  a 
party  of  soldiers  to  Van  Slechtenhorst's  house  with  an  order  to  the  patroon 
to  strike  his  flag,  which  the  latter  peremptorily  refused  to  do.  They  then 
entered  the  inclosure,  fired  a  volley  from  their  loaded  muskets,  and 
hauled  down  the  flag  themselves.  Stuyvesant  immediately  erected  a 
court  of  justice  in  Beverwyck,  apart  from  and  independent  of  that  of 
Rensselaerswick  ;  but  the  notice  of  this,  having  been  affixed  to  the  court- 
house of  the  latter  colony,  was  torn  down,  and  a  proclamation  asserting 
the  rights  of  the  patroon  posted  in  its  place.  The  next  day,  nine  armed 
men  broke  into  Slechtenhorst's  house  and  forcibly  conveyed  him  to  Fort 
Orange,  where  neither  his  wife,  children,  nor  friends  were  allowed  to  speak 
with  him.  His  furs,  his  clothes,  and  his  meat  were  left  hanging  to  the 
door-posts.  It  was  not  long  ere  he  was  conveyed  to  New  Amsterdam  ; 
but  he  was  not  confined  in  the  hold  of  the  fort  there,  as  has  been  asserted. 
He  was  under  "  civil  arrest,"  and  spent  a  portion  of  his  time  on  Staten 
Island. 

John  Baptist  Van  Rensselaer  took  Van  Slechtenhorst's  place  provision- 
ally, and  was  afterwards  formally  appointed  commander  of  the  col- 
'ony  by  the  patroon.  Gerrit  Swart  succeeded  to  the  office  of  sheriff; 
Rev.  Gideon  Schaets  was  installed  as  clergyman,  and  retained  that  posi- 
tion for  over  thirty   years.      His  salary  was   $  380   per  annum. 

*^  '  Before  returning  to  New  Amsterdam,  Stuyvesant  confirmed  the 
authority  of  the  West  India  Company  by  issuing  patents  to  some  of  the 
principal  colonists  for  tracts  of  land  within  the  confines  of  Beverwyck. 
It  was  thus  that  the  germ  of  the  present  city  of  Albany  was  rescued 
from  feudal  jurisdiction. 

On  the  28th  of  March,  Van  Tienhoven  was  appointed  to  the  office  of 
sheriff,  which  had  been  made  vacant  by  the  removal  of  Van  Dyck. 
'"Were  an  honorable  person  to  take  my  place,  I  should  not  so 
much  mind  it,"  bewailed  the  latter ;  "  but  here  is  a  public,  notorious,  and 
convicted  whoremonger  and  oath-breaker,  who  has  frequently  come  out 
of  the  tavern  so  full  of  strong  drink  that  he  was  forced  to  lie  down  in  the 
gutter,  while  the  fault  of  drunkenness  could  not  easily  be  imputed  to  me." 

Carel  Van  Brugge  succeeded  Van  Tienhoven  as  secretary  of  the  prov- 
ince, and  Adriaen  Van  Tienhoven  became  receiver-general,  in  place  of 
his  brother. 

The  death  of  William  II.,  Prince  of  Orange,  in  1650,  left  vacant  the 


ilicyaiic 

'  diiriii;^'   Llit; 

)-Illllnll 

ot    Lilt;    Kiig- 

IV,  k;.".! 

1  )<!lc!J,'ilt<i8 

I(ia-uc  1 

t  iiiiiily  iui(i 

77/ A'    NAV/(.'A  TIO N    ACT.  I  •") 7 

ollici'.  ol'  stiidllioldcr,  and  tlial  lli^'Ility  rcmaiiic<l 
iiiinorily  of  VVilliaiu  111,  This  event  led  to  tlie 
lish  (Joiiuuoiiwealtli  l)y  the  Dutch  i;ei)\ililie  in  .la 
were  sent  I'n'jni  JMi^laiid  td  tlie  llat^ue  tn  nei;iitiat 
confederation  between  1  he  1  w  n  nal  ions.  Sdnie  of  tlie  visionary  entliiLsi- 
asts  in  Parliament  excn  entertained  the  iilea  of  making  the  two  rejuiblics 
one,  to  be  governed  hy  a  eonneil  sitting  at  J^ondon,  composed  of  Dutch- 
men and  Englishmen.  To  elleet  this,  the  embassy  was  instructed  to  use 
the  most  adroit  (li])lomacy  ;  but  their  first  act  was  to  demand  that  all 
the  English  fugitives  should  be  exjielled  from  Holland.  This  decided 
the  matter.  The  Dutch  government  at  on(;e  assumed  a  haughty  ai)\ 
The  })eople  of  the  Netherlands  wen;  attached  to  the  house  of  Orange,  and 
(lid  not  relish  the  presence  of  the  executioners  of  the  unliappy  grandfather 
of  William  111.^  They  openly,  and  on  every  possible  occasion,  insulted 
the  ambassadors,  who  finally  returned  to  England,  determined  to  de- 
stroy the  commercial  ascendency  of  the  Dutch.^  The  celebrated  Act 
of  Navigation  was  accordingly  carried  through  Parliament.  Hencefor- 
ward the  commerce  between  Englanil  and  her  colonies,  as  well  as  that 
l)etween  England  and  the  rest  of  the  world,  was  to  be  conducted  in  ships 
solely  owned  and  ])rincipally  manned  by  Englishmen.  Eoreigners  might 
carry  to  England  nothing  but  those  products  of  their  respective  coun- 
tries which  were  the  established  st^iples  of  those  countries.  The  act  was 
leveled  at  the  commerce  of  tlie  Dutch,  and  destroyed  one  great  source 
of  their  prosperity,  while  some  letters  of  reprisal  issued  by  English  mer- 
chants brought  eighty  Dutch  ships  as  prizes  into  English  ports.  The 
act  was,  after  all,  but  a  protection  of  British  shipjjing.  It  contained  not 
one  clause  which  related  to  a  colonial  monopoly,  or  was  specially  inju- 
rious to  an  American  colony.  In  vain  did  the  Dutch  expostulate  against 
the  breach  of  commercial  amity.  England  loved  herself  better  than  she 
loved  her  neighbors.  But,  as  might  have  been  expected,  a  naval  war  was 
the  consequence.     The  first  battle  between  the  forces  of  the  Neth- 

May  29 

erlands  and  the  English  Commonwealth  was  fought  in  the  Straits 

of  Dover,  on  the  29th  of  May,  1652.     Other  battles  followed  in  which  the 

Dutch  were  victorious,  and  the  triumphant  Van  Tromp  sailed  along 

the  English  coast  with  a  broom  at  his  masthead,  to  indicate  that 

he  had  swept  the  Channel  of  English  ships. 

The  States-General  had  remonstrated  so  often  and  so  earnestly  with  the 

1  Aitzema,  III.  638  -  663.  Thurloe's  State  Papers,  1. 174, 179, 182,  183,  187  - 195.  Verbael 
Van  Bcvcrning,  61,  62. 

^  Common's  Journal,  VII.  27.  Anderson,  II.  415,  416.  Lingard,  XI.  128.  Davis,  II. 
707-710.     Bancroft,  \.  2\b,  2\6. 


158  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

West  India  Company  in  regard  to  the  mismanagement  of  New  Nether- 
land,  that  the  Amsterdam  Chamber  finally  deemed  it  wise  to  pour  a  little 
oil  upon  the  bleeding  wounds  of  the  colonists.  They  took  off  the  export 
duty  from  tobacco ;  reduced  the  price  of  passage  to  New  Amsterdam ; 
allowed  the  colonists  to  procure  negroes  from  Africa ;  sent  supplies  of 
ammunition  to  be  distributed  at  a  "  decent  price  "  ;  assented  to 
the  establishment  of  a  public  school ;  and  granted  a  burgher  gov- 
ernment to  New  Amsterdam,  similar  to  that  of  the  cities  of  the  Father- 
land. In  the  vessel  which  brought  these  dispatches  w^ere  several  dis- 
tinguished passengers,  among  whom  was  Dominie  Samuel  Drisius,  a 
learned  divine,  who  could  preach  in  English,  Dutch,  and  French,  and  who 
came  to  New  Amsterdam  as  colleague  to  Dominie  Megapolensis,  at  a 
salary  of  S  580  per  annum. 

The  public  school  was  opened  in  one  of  the  small  rooms  of  the  great 
stone  tavern,  and  Dr.  La  Montague  offered  to  teach  until  a  suitable  master 
could  be  obtained  from  Holland.  Meanwhile  the  States-General  had  re- 
solved to  recall  Governor  Stuyvesant.  They  prepared  their  mandate  and 
intrusted  it  to  Van  der  Donck,  who  was  about  to  sail  for  New  Amsterdam. 
This  extraordinary  measure  aroused  the  Amsterdam  Chamber ;  they  in- 
terfered, and  at  last  persuaded  the  States-General  that,  in  view  of  the 
rupture  with  England,  they  needed  a  man  of  Stuyvesant's  military  char- 
acter and  experience  to  guard  their  American  possessions.  A  messenger 
was  therefore  sent  to  Texel,  where  Van  der  Donck  was  upon  the  eve  of 
sailing,  and  the  letter  of  recall  was  obtained  and  destroyed.  Thus 
^^^  '  Stuyvesant  received  nothing  of  his  threatened  humiliation.  An 
order  reached  him,  however,  that  Schelluyne  should  be  unmolested  in  his 
practice  of  notary-public. 

The  towns  of  Middleburg  and  Flatbush  were  commenced  this  year. 
There  were  also  large  tracts  of  land  ceded  to  different  parties  on  Long 
Island,  in  New  Jersey,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  North  Kiver.  But  pros- 
perity was  not  ready  to  bless  the  slow-growing  community,  and  its  off- 
shoots and  branches  developed  with  strange  tardiness.  One  of  the  great- 
est wants  of  the  colony  was  skilled  labor,  and,  indeed,  labor  of  every  kind. 
Efforts  had  been  made  to  procure  it  from  Holland,  but  with  very  little 
success.  Negroes  had  occasionally  been  brought  to  Manhattan  and  sold, 
but  the  demand  for  servants  was  far  beyond  the  supply.  The  new  law  of 
the  company,  which  permitted  the  colonists  to  equip  vessels  and  sail  to  the 
coasts  of  Angola,  in  Africa,  to  procure  negroes  for  themselves,  was  the 
signal  for  the  fitting  out  of  several  vessels  exclusively  for  the  slave-trade 
and  the  bringing  to  New  Netherland  of  a  large  invoice  of  the  colored 
population  of  the  torrid  zone.     Every  family  who  could  afford  it  invested 


Al'RIVAN   SLAVERY 


151) 


in  this  Imiuch  of  industry.  lUit  it  was  \vretclu'<lly  unHiitisfactoi y.  'I'ln' 
slaves  wcro  ij^norant  and  intensely  stujjid.  Twenty-Hve  of  such  us  were 
imported  at  that  time  could  hardly  pert'onu  as  much  \v(»rk  as  lluce,  a 
hundred  years  later. 

Whili!  these  voyaj^es  were  occupyiu}.;'  the  attention  ol'  the  enterprising 
merchants  of  Manhattan,  an  interesting  moment  arrived.     A  new    ,^,^3^ 
city  appeared  in   the  annals  of  the   world.      Its  birth  was  an-   „  .  ,, 
nounced  on  the  evening  of  February  2,  1653,  at  the  feast  of  Can- 
dlemas.    A  proclamation  of  the  governor  defined  its  exceedingly  limited 
powera  and   named   its    first  officers.     It  was  called  New   Amsterdam. 
There  was  nothing  in  the  significant  scene  which  inspired  enthusiasm. 
It  came  like  a  favor  grudgingly  granted.    Its  privileges  were  few,  and  even 
those  were  subsequently  hampered  by  the  most  illiberal  interpretations 
which  could  be  devised.     Stuyvesant  made  a  speech  on  the  occasion,  in 
which  he  took  care  to  reveal  his  intention  of  making  all  future  municipal 
appointments,  instead  of  submitting  the  matter  to  the  votes  of  the  citizens, 
as  was  the  custom  in  the  Fatherland ;  and  he  gave  the  officers  distinctly 
to  understand  from  the  first,  that  their  existence  did  not  in  any  way 

diminish  his  authority,  but 
that  he  should  often  preside 
at  their  meetings,  and  at  all 
times  counsel  them  in  mat- 
ters of  importance.  They 
were  not  to  have  a  sheriff  of 
their  own ;  but  Van  Tien- 
hoven,  the  provincial  sheriff, 
miglit  officiate  for  the  cor- 
]K)rati()n.  Neither  was  it 
tleemed  requisite  that  they 
should  have  a  scribe ;  but 
Jacob  Kip,  the  newly  ap- 
pointed secretary  of  the  prov- 
ince, was  notified  to  attend 
their  meetings  and  do  such 
Kip's  Mansion.  writing  as  seemed  necessary. 

He  was  a  young  man  of  spirit  and  intelligence,  tall,  handsome,  and  ex- 
tremely popular.  The  following  year,  he  married  Marie  La  Montagne, 
the  daughter  of  Dr.  La  Montagne,  a  beautiful  girl  of  sixteen.  He  owned 
a  fann  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  on  the  East  River,  and  soon  after 
his  marriage  erected  a  house  upon  it,  and  went  there  to  reside.  The 
locality  was,  and  is  still,  known  as  Kip's  Bay. 


160  HISTORY   OF  THE  CITY  OF  SEW   YORK. 

Tins  Kip  mansion  .subsequently  became  famous.  It  was  once  or  twice 
rebuilt,  and  five  generations  of  the  Kip  family  were  born  in  it.  It  was, 
for  a  short  time,  during  the  American  Eevolutiou,  the  head-quarters  of 
General  Washington.  It  was  one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  olden  time  that 
was  ruthlessly  pushed  aside  by  the  corporation,  at  the  opening  of  Thirty- 
fifth  Street,  on  the  direct  line  of  which  it  stooil.  The  sketch  is  a  fair 
illustration  of  the  style  of  the  better  class  of  farm-houses  on  Manhattan 
Island,  during  the  early  period.  The  new  city  contained  a  number  of 
good  stone  dwellings,  which  had  a  substantial  and  aristocratic  air,  as  if 
inhabited  by  people  of  wealth  and  cultivated  tastes.  There  were  many 
English  and  French,  as  well  as  Dutch,  residents  who  Avere  well  con- 
nected in  Europe  ;  and,  from  whatever  cause  they  had  been  induced  to 
emigrate,  they  were  not  likely  to  turn  barbarians  because  they  were  in 
a  new  country.  Good  breeding  cannot  be  taken  on  and  put  off  so  readily. 
Many  struggled  along  for  years  with  wants  unsupj)lied ;  but  when,  with 
increase  of  means,  they  were  able  to  provide  the  comforts  and  luxuries 
to  which  they  had  been  born,  they  were  not  slow  to  eml)race  the  oppor- 
tunity. The  refinement  and  culture  of  these  gave  tone,  even  at  tliat 
early  date,  to  the  social  life  of  the  little  community. 

The  cheaper  and  more  common  dwellings  we  find  to  have  been  gener- 
ally built  of  wood,  with  checker-work  fronts,  or  rather  gable  ends,  of  small 
black  and  yellow  Dutch  bricks,  with  the  date  of  their  erection  inserted  in 
iron  figures  facing  the  street.  The  roofs  were  tiled  or  shingled,  and  sur- 
mounted with  a  weathercock.  The  front  door  was  usually  ornamented 
with  a  huge  brass  kntjcker,  with  the  device  of  a  dog's  or  lion's  head,  which 
was  required  to  be  burnished  daily.  As  the  facilities  for  obtaining  build- 
ing materials  increased,  the  huts  of  the  very  poor  classes  gradually  assumed 
a  more  and  more  res])ectable  appearance.  Tlie  old  stone  tavern  was  re- 
modeled, cleaned  up,  and  called  a  Stadthuys,  or  City  Hall ;  and  there  the 
city  magistrates  held  their  meetings  on  Mondays,  from  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning  until  noon,  and  if  business  was  tn-gent  they  sometimes  had  an 
after-dinner  session.  Absent  members  were  fined  six  stuyvers  for  the 
first  half-hour,  twelve  for  the  second,  and  forty  if  absent  during  the 
meeting. 

A  pew  was  set  apart  in  the  church  for  the  City  Fathers ;  and  on  Sun- 
day mornings  these  worthies  left  their  homes  and  families  early  to  meet 
in  the  City  Hall,  from  which,  preceded  by  the  bell-ringer,  carrying  their 
cushions  of  state,  they  marched  in  solemn  procession  to  the  sanctuary  in 
the  fort.  On  all  occasions  of  ceremony,  secular  or  religious,  they  were 
treated  with  distinguished  attention.  Their  jiosition  was  eminently  re- 
spectable, but  it  had  as  yet  no  emoluments.      We  shall  liave  occasion 


AIJ.Ani)    AXTIIONY.  KH 

hereafter  to  show  how  tliey  wiiU  lu-d  ovtir  Uu!  Uuider  huhyhoiMl  of  the 
city,  —  a  city  whose  infancy  was  dwarfed  l»y  Lh(;  constant  n(!;,dect  of 
(lie  parent  country;  which  was  exposed  to  savajic.  hostility  and  over- 
looked by  the  world  in  general ;  which  was  captured  while  yet  in  swad- 
dling-clothes by  people  of  different  language,  views,  and  policy  ;  whose 
youth  was  a  combat  with  all  kinds  of  untoward  circunistauces,  l)iit  whose 
maturity  has  so  far  exceeded  the  promise  of  its  earlier  years,  and  whose 
future  certainties  are  so  much  greater  than  those  of  any  other  city  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  that  we  cannot  pass  ou  without  extending  our  cordial 
fellowship  to  those  who  rocked  its  cradle.  Their  names  we  shall  rewrite 
each  time  with  newly  awakened  emotions. 

There  were  two  burgomasters,  Arent  Van  Hattam  and  Martin  Cre- 
gier.  The  first  was  an  intelligent  Holland  speculator,  who  traveled 
through  the  country  and  amassed  a  large  fortune,  but  never  married, 
or  had  any  permanent  residence  in  New  Amsterdam  that  we  can 
learn.  He  was  once  sent  as  ambassador  to  Virginia.  Martin  Cregier 
was  the  captain  of  the  citizens'  military  company,  and  went  often  in 
command  of  important  expeditions  into  the  interior.  He  was  the  ])ro- 
prietor  of  a  small  tavern  opposite  the  Bowling  Green,  the  site  of  which 
he  purchased  in  1643.  He  was  a  conspicuous  man  in  his  day ;  and  his 
descendants  are  among  the  most  highly  respected  families  in  the  State  of 
New  York. 

There  were  five  schepeus,  —  Paulus  Vau  der  Grist,  Maximilian  Van 
Gheel,  Allard  Anthony,  Peter  Van  Couwenhoven,  and  William  Beek- 
man.  Paulus  Van  der  Grist  was  a  hale,  hearty  old  sea-captain,  who 
commanded  one  of  the  four  ships  of  the  fleet  which  conveyed  Governor 
Stuyvesant  to  America.  Either  personally  or  through  an  agent,  he  bought 
considerable  property  on  Manhattan  Island  as  early  as  1644,  and  took 
up  his  permanent  residence  in  Xew  Amsterdam,  as  naval  agent,  in  1648. 
He  owned  a  sloop  with  which  he  navigated  the  waters  near  by ;  built 
himself  a  nice  house  on  Broadway  below  Trinity  Church ;  and  opened  a 
dry-goods  store,  keeping  groceries  and  knick-knacks  also,  according  to 
village  custom. 

Allard  Anthony  was  a  middle-aged  man,  rich,  influential,  conceited, 
and  unpopular.  He  was  the  consignee  of  a  large  firm  in  Holland ; 
and  his  store  was  in  the  old  church  building  erected  by  Van  Twil- 
ler.  Besides  his  general  wholesale  business,  he  engaged  in  the  retail 
trade ;  for  we  learn  by  the  records  that  he  sold  a  "  hanger  "  to  Jan  Van 
Cleef  "  for  as  much  buckwheat  as  Anthony's  fowls  will  eat  in  six 
months."  At  another  time  we  learn  that  his  wife  complained  of  some 
negroes  "  for  killing  a  few  of  her  pigs."     He  had  a  large  farm  on  the 


162  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

island;  but  his  city  residence,  a  first-class  stone  mansion,  was  on  the 
comer  of  Whitehall  and  Marketfield  Streets.  He  had  one  son,  Nicholas, 
who  was  afterwards  sheriff  of  Ulster  County ;  and  two  daughters,  who, 
it  has  been  said,  dressed  the  most  showily  and  fashionably  of  all  the 
ladies  of  New  Amsterdam.  Peter  Couwenhoven  has  been  noticed  on  a 
previous  page. 

Wilham  Beekman  was  the  ancestor  of  the  well-known  Beekman 
family,  and  his  name  is  perpetuated  by  two  streets,  William  and  Beek- 
man. He  came  from  Holland  in  the  same  vessel  with  Stuyvesant,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one.  Full  of  strong,  healthy  life,  and  ambition,  he 
employed  every  moment  that  he  could  spare  from  his  clerkship  duties 
in  searching  for  a  spot  to  plant  his  money,  for  he  had  not  come  empty- 
handed  from  abroad.  An  opportunity  soon  offered;  he  purchased 
Corlear's  Hook  of  Jacob  Corlear,  and  shortly  after  feU  in  love  with  and 
married  the  pretty  blue-eyed  Catharine  Van  Boogh.  Everybody  thought 
it  a  good  match,  and  the  youthful  pair  were  held  in  high  esteem.  In  the 
course  of  years,  he  rose  to  distinction ;  he  was  at  one  time  vice-director 
of  the  colony  on  the  Delaware,  and  at  another  sheriff  at  Esopus.  He 
was  nine  years  a  burgomaster  of  New  Amsterdam.  In  1670,  he  bought 
the  farm  formerly  owned  by  Thomas  Hall,  stretching  along  the  East 
Eiver  for  a  great  distance.  His  orchard  lay  upon  a  side-hill  running 
down  to  the  swamp  which  was  called  Cripple  Bush,  and  through  which 
Beekman  Street  now  passes.  He  had  five  sons  and  one  only  daughter, 
Marie.  This  daughter  maiTied  Nicholas  WiUiam  Stuyvesant,  a  son  of 
the  governor. 

The  bell-ringer  was  a  notable  and  useful  individual.  He  was  the 
court  messenger,  the  grave-digger,  the  chorister,  the  reader,  and  some- 
times the  schoolmaster.  He  seems  also  to  have  been  a  general  waiter 
upon  the  city  magistrates.  He  kept  the  great  room  in  which  they  as- 
sembled in  order,  placed  the  chairs  in  their  proper  and  precise  positions, 
and  rang  the  bell  at  the  hour  for  coming  together.  It  was  the 
business  of  the  sheriff  to  convoke  and  preside  over  this  board,  to 
prosecute  offenders,  and  to  execute  judgments.  City  officials  in  the  Fa- 
therland were  invested  with  judicial  and  municipal  powers ;  but,  as  no 
specific  charter  had  been  granted  to  our  City  Fathers,  their  authority  was 
not  well  defined.  They  heard  and  settled  disputes  between  parties  ;  tried 
cases  for  the  recovery  of  debt,  for  defamation  of  character,  for  breaches 
of  marriage  promise,  for  assault  and  theft ;  and  even  summoned  parents 
and  guardians  into  their  presence  for  withholding  their  consent  to  the 
marriage  of  their  children  or  wards  without  sufficient  cause.  They  sen- 
tenced and  committed  to  jn-ison,  like  any  otlier  court  of  sessions. 


77//;    /'/,'.!)  h'K    OF    THE    CITY    I'ATUERS.  \(u\ 

All  their  meotings  were  opened  witli  a  solemn  uiul  impressive  fonn  of 
prayer.  As  we  find  it  recorded  in  their  minutes,  we  jircsiime  they  desi<,Mied 
it  should  go  down  to  posterity  ;  hence  we  give  it  in  lull  : 

"Oh  C!od  of  (Jods,  iind  Lord  of  Lords  !  Jloavonly  and  most  merciful  Father! 
Wo  tluink  tlioo  that  tliou  hast  not  only  created  us  in  thine  imago,  hut  that  thou 
liast  rocoivcd  us  as  thy  cluldrcn  and  guests  wlien  we  were  lost,  and  in  addition 
to  ail  this,  it  has  plcivsed  thee  to  place  us  in  the  government  of  thy  peoj)lc  in 
this  place. 

"  ()  Lord,  our  (Jod,  we,  thy  wretched  creaturi's,  acknowledge  tliat  we  are  not 
worthy  of  tliis  honor,  ami  that  we  have  neither  strengtii  nor  sulliciency  to  dis- 
charge the  trust  committed  to  us  without  thine  assistance. 

"  We  heseech  thee,  oil  fountain  of  all  good  gifts,  qualify  us  by  thy  gnice,  that 
we  may,  with  fidelity  and  righteousness,  serve  in  our  respective  officcis.  To  this 
end  enlighten  our  darkened  understandings,  that  we  may  be;  able  to  distinguish 
the  right  from  the  wrong,  the  truth  from  the  falsehood  ;  and  that  we  may  give 
pin-e  and  inicorrujited  decisions ;  having  an  eye  upon  thy  word,  a  sure  guide, 
giving  to  the  simple,  wisdom  and  knowledge.  Let  thy  law  be  a  light  unto  our 
feet,  and  a  lamp  to  our  path,  so  that  we  may  never  turn  away  from  the  path  of 
righteousness.  Deeply  impress  on  all  our  minds  that  we  are  not  accountable 
unto  man,  but  unto  God,  who  seetli  and  heareth  all  things.  Let  all  respect  of 
persons  be  far  removed  from  us,  that  we  may  award  justice  unto  the  rich  and 
the  poor,  unto  friends  and  enemies  alike ;  to  residents  and  to  strangers  according 
to  the  law  of  truth  :  and  that  not  one  of  us  may  swerve  therefrom.  And  since 
gifts  do  blind  the  eyes  of  the  wise,  and  destroy  the  heart,  therefore  keep  our 
hearts  aright.  Grant  unto  us,  also,  that  we  may  not  rashly  prejudge  any  one, 
without  a  fair  hearing,  but  that  we  patiently  hear  the  parties,  and  give  them 
time  and  opportunity  for  defending  themselves ;  in  all  things  looking  up  to  thee 
and  to  thy  word  for  counsel  and  direction. 

"  Graciously  incline  our  hearts,  that  we  may  exercise  the  power  which  thou  hast 
given  us,  to  the  general  good  of  the  community,  and  to  the  maintainance  of  the 
church,  that  we  may  be  praised  by  them  that  do  well,  and  a  terror  to  evil- 
doers. 

"  Incline,  also,  the  hearts  of  the  subjects  unto  due  obedience,  so  that  through 
their  respect  and  obedience  our  burdens  may  be  made  the  ligliter. 

"Thou  knowest.  Oh  Lord,  that  the  wicked  and  ungodly  do  generally  con- 
temn and  transgress  tliine  ordinances,  therefore  clothe  us  with  strength,  courage, 
fortitude,  and  promptitude,  that  we  may,  with  proper  earnestness  and  zeal,  be 
steadfast  unto  death  against  all  sinners  and  evil-doers. 

"  Oh  good  and  gracious  God,  command  thy  blessing  upon  all  our  adopted 
resolutions,  that  they  may  be  rendered  effectual,  and  redound  to  the  honor  of 
thy  great  and  holy  name,  to  the  greatest  good  of  the  trusts  committed  to  us  and 
to  our  salvation. 


164  HISTORY   OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

"  Hear  and  answer  us,  Oh  gracious  God,  in  these  our  petitions  and  in  all  that 
thou  seest  we  need,  through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  thy  beloved  Son,  in  whose 
name  we  conclude  our  juuyer." 

In  view  of  the  disturbances  across  the  water,  Stuy^'esant,  as  a  precau- 
tionary measure,  wrote  to  the  authorities  in  New  England  and  Virginia, 
expressing  friendship  and  good-will,  and  proposed  that  the  com- 
'  mercial  intercourse  of  the  colonies  should  continue  uninterrupted. 
He  learned  before  the  end  of  March,  however,  that  military  preparations 
were  going  on  in  New  England  ;  but  whether  these  were  offensive 
'  or  defensive,  he  could  not  discover.     He  called  a  joint  meeting  of 
the  Council  and  the  City  Fathers,  and  they  resolved  that  a  body  of  citizens 
should  mount  guard  every  night  at  the  City  Hall ;  also,  that  Fort  Am- 
sterdam should  be  put  in  a  proper  state  of  defense,  and  that  the  city 
should  defray  the  cost.     About  forty  of  the  principal  men  of  New  Amster- 
dam subscribed  a  loan  of  two  thousand  dollars  for  the  i)urpose.     The  fence 
which  Kieft  had  built  across  the  island  still  remained,  and  it  was  de- 
cided to  inclose  the  city  by  a  ditch  and  palisades  with  a  breastwork,  on 
about  the  same  line,  and  every  man  was  required  to  leave  his  business 
and  lend  a  helping  hand.     Posts  twelve  feet  high  and  about  seven  inches 
in  diameter  were  erected,  and  covered  on  the  outside  with  boards ;   a 
ditch,  two  feet  wide  and  three  deep,  was  dug  upon  the  inside,  and  the 
dirt  was  thrown  up  against  the  fence,  thus  making  a  platform  of 
^^  '  sufficient  height  to  permit  the  assailed  to  overlook  the  stockade. 
It  was  completed  about  the  1st  of  May.     In  the  mean  time,  the  people 
had  become  seriously  alarmed,  and  had  spent  the  9th  day  of  April  in 
fasting  and  prayer  throughout  the  province. 

War  upon  the  Dutch  colonists  was  actually  in  contenijjlatioii  in  New 
England.  A  large  party  were  eager  to  take  the  opijortunity  offered  by 
the  hostilities  in  Europe  to  grasp  New  Netherland;  but  the  General 
Court  of  Massachusetts  refused  to  sanction  such  an  enterprise.  In  the 
mean  time.  Captain  John  Underhill  had  grown  restless,  and  agitated  a 
revolt  on  Long  Island.  In  a  seditious  paper  addressed  to  the  people, 
he  speaks  of  "  this  great  autnciacy  and  tyranny  too  grievous  for  any  good 
Englishman  or  l)rave  Christian  to  tolerate."  But  liis  plot  was  dis- 
covered in  time  to  be  prevented,  and  he  was  arrested,  tried,  and 

1  New  Anis.  Ucc,  I.  pp.  10.'),  106,  107,  lOS,  liiit.  'Phi'  records  of  the  first  City  Fathers  are 
well  preserved.  Tliey  hiive  been  translated  into  the  Knglish  language,  and  are  both  curious 
and  entertaining.  The  minutes  of  the  ])roe(!edings  of  the  burgomasters  and  schejiens  in  the 
earliest  years  of  the  city  furnish  an  abuntUint  harvest  for  tlie  anti(iuary.  The  writer  of  this 
volume  only  regrets  that  its  nceessary  limitations  exclude  .so  large  a  proportion  of  tlie  inter- 
esting matter  found  in  their  j)ages. 


VAX    DICn    DOXCK.  166 

banished  from  tho  provinco.  Tlio  city  wius  lull  of  startliug  niuioi-s ;  aiui, 
(luiiii<,f  tlio  sumuier  Lliat  Ibllowcd,  Hit!  <j;()Voriu)r  wa.s  coii.staiitly  iiivolvud 
ill  a  variety  of  unexpected  difliculties.  A  man  of  less  liiiiiiicss  and  de- 
cision of  cluiracter  would  have  si<,Mially  failed  in  maintaining;  authority. 
Allan!  Antliony  was  sent  to  Holland  as  a  special  aj^'cnt  to  "-p- ^^^^ 
resent  the  situation  of  affairs  to  the  Amsterdam  Chaniber.  Stuy- 
vesant,  haviu"-  called  ui)()n  tlic  citv  government  for  further  funds 

.  •       ,  1       ii        I  .  July  29. 

to  invest  m  fortilication,  was  waited  upon  by  the  bur<,'omaster.s, 

who  peremptorily  refused  to  contribute  anything  more,  unless  the  Aug.  2. 

governor  gave  up  the  excise  on  wines  and  beers. 

In  the  summer,  Van  der  Donck  arrived  from  Holland.  He  had  en- 
larged his  Vcrtoo()h  by  writing  out  a  more  accurate  description  of 
New  Netherlaud.  He  had  submitted  it  to  the  West  India  Company,  who 
had  not  only  approved  of  it,  but  recomnieuded  it  to  the  !Stutes-General ; 
and  the  author  had  received  a  copyright.  He  desired  to  give  it  a  still 
broader  historical  character  ;  and  he  applied  to  the  company  for  permission 
to  examine  tho  records  at  New  Amsterdam.  He  was  cordially  referred 
to  Stuyvesaut.  But  the  latter  gentleman  suspected  his  motives  and 
treated  him  with  cool  severity,  denying  him  access  to  any  papera 
whatever.  \m\  der  Donck  wished  also  to  practice  law  in  this  countiy. 
His  ability  as  a  lawyer  was  well  known.  The  directors  of  the  com- 
pany were  disposed  to  grant  him  a  license,  only  they  said,  "  What  will 
one  great  advocate  do  alone  among  the  savages  ?  You  will  have 
nobody  of  your  stamp  to  plead  against  you  ! "  Van  der  Donck, 
when  he  found  his  journey  barren  of  results,  sailed  again  for 
Em-ope,  Avhere  he  published  the  book  under  the  title  of  Bcsclirijvinge 
van  Nicuw  Nederlandt.  The  second  edition  contained  a  map  reduced 
from  the  large  one  of  Visscher,  and  embellished  with  a  view  of  New  Am- 
sterdam, sketched  by  Augustine  Heermans  in  1656. 

Heermans  was  a  native  of  Bohemia,  and  came  to  New  Amsterdam, 
with  Van  Twiller,  in  1633,  as  an  officer  of  the  company.  He  had  picked 
up  a  great  fund  of  information,  as  well  as  an  immense  quantity  of  real 
estate ;  and  he  had  a  natural  taste  for  sketching,  which,  however,  was 
never  cultivated  in  any  considerable  degree.  His  house  stood  on  the 
west  side  of  Pearl  Street,  covering  the  line  of  Pine.  It  was  built  of 
stone,  and  surrounded  by  an  orchard  and  an  extensive  garden.  He 
removed  afterwards  to  Maryland,  where  he  became  a  large  landholder. 

The  governor  was  cheered  in  July  by  the  arrival  of  a  personage  of 
importance.     The  company  had  selected  Hon.  Nicasius  De  Sille, 
a  gentleman  of  the  best  culture  the  time  aflbrded,  a  thorough 
statesman  and  an   experienceil   lawyer,  and  commissioned  him  as  first 


^^caJiUs  de-^M^ 


166  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

councilor  in  their  provincial  government.  He  was  a  widower,  with  two 
attractive  daughters  and  one  son ;  and  he  built  quite  an  extensive  house 
on  the  corner  of  Broad  Street  and  Exchange  Place,  where  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  entertaining  a  small 
but  very  select  circle  of  friends 
in  the  same  elegant  and  court- 
ly manner  to  which  he  had 
been  accustomed  at  the  Hague.  .  ^       u  *  r,  o  „ 

°  Autograph  of  De  Sille. 

His    eldest   daughter,   Anna,    a 

brilliant  little  girl  of  fourteen,  who  afterward  married  Hendrick  Kip, 
presided  over  his  table,  with  its  blue  and  white  china  and  porce- 
lain, curiously  ornamented  with  Chinese  pictures.  The  teacups  were 
very  diminutive  in  size,  according  to  the  prevailing  fashion,  and  the  tea 
was  sipped  in  small  quantities  alternately  with  a  bite  from  the  lump 
of  loaf-sugar  which  was  laid  beside  each  guest's  plate.  De  Sille  brought 
to  this  country  more  silver-plate  than  any  one  had  done  before  him,  and 
took  special  pride  in  its  exhibition.  Governor  Stuyvesant's  family,  Mrs. 
Bayard,  the  La  Montagues,  and  the  Kips  were  his  most  frequent  visitors. 
He  selected  Tryntie  Croegers  for  his  second  wife;  but  the  marriage 
proved  unhappy.  The  parties  separated  in  1669 ;  and  a  commission,  in 
which  figured  such  names  as  Van  Cortlandt,  De  Peyster,  and  Van  Brugh, 
was  appointed  to  try  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation.  They  reported  that 
all  affection  and  love  were  estranged  on  both  sides,  but  that  the  husband 
was  more  inclined  to  a  reunion  than  the  wife,  and  they  recommended  an 
equal  division  of  the  property.  De  Sille  .built  the  first  stone  house  in 
New  Utrecht,  and  resided  there  for  many  years.  He  left  a  brief  history 
of  the  settlement  of  that  town.  Laurence  De  Sille,  his  son,  married  the 
daughter  of  Martin  Cregier,  and  was  the  ancestor  of  all  of  the  name  of 
De  Sille  in  this  country.  Mrs.  De  Sille  at  her  death  left  the  whole  of 
her  estate,  real  and  personal,  to  her  cousin,  Jacobus  Croegers. 

Cornelis  Van  Ruyven  was  about  this  time  appointed  secretary  of  the 
province,  and  Van  Brugge  was  employed  in  the  custom-house.     All  at 
once  there  arose  again  a  great  spirit  of  disaffection  among  the  English  on 
Long  Island.     How  much  of  it  was  due  to  the  consummate  tact  of  Cap- 
tain Underbill  we  are  not  prepared  to  say,  but  from  many  of  the 
'  towns  came  the  bitterest  denunciation  of  the  Dutch  authorities  of 
New  Netherlands.     It  finally  resulted  in  one  of  the  most  important  pop- 
ular meetings  ever  held  in  New  Amsterdam.     The  capital  itself 
^^"^  ^"'  was  represented  by  delegates,  as  also  Breuckelen,  Flatbush,  Flat- 
lands,  Gravesend,  Newtown,  Flushing,  and   Hempstead;    and   the  men 
who  assembled  were  earnest,  thoughtful,   liberty-loving   citizens.      The 


77/ A'    DIET   IN   NHW    AMSTKIiDA  M. 


n;7 


De  Stile  s  House 


convention,  iil'tcr  niutual  coiisulliition  and  disciissiun,  adopUMl  a  ien»ou- 
-stranco,  wliicli,  in  courtuous  plirasooloj^'y,  compares  wcdl  with  dociuucnts 
ol'  fi    siiniliir    iharactcr    at   a    later    day,    and    which    shows    ajMrn    tliu 
lace  ol'  il-  an   iiitelli^'ent  ajijireciation  of  tlic  riglits, 
as  well  as  a  thorough  ac([uaintanco  with  the  legiti- 
mate objects,  of  civil  government.     It  demanded  re- 
forms and  laws  such  as  i)re- 
vailed  in  the  Netherlands; 
and  Stuyvesant  winced  un- 
der the  truths  which  were 
laid   bare   before   his    eyes. 
To    weaken    its    ef- 
fect, he  declared  that 
r.reuckelen,    Flatbush,    and 
Flatlands   had   no  right   to 
jurisdiction,  and    could  not 
send  delegates  to  a  popular  assembly.     He  talked  eloquently,  and  wiis 
exhaustive  in  argument.     The  delegates  prepared  a  rejoinder,  and 
threatened  to  send   their  protest   to   the  States-General  and  the 
West  India  Company,  if  he  did  not  lend  a  considerate  ear.    Then  nothing 
seemed  to  remain  but  the  exercise  of  his  prerogative.     He  commanded 
the  delegation  to  disperse  "  on  pain  of  our  highest  displeasure,"  and  closed 
his  message  by  arrogantly  declaring  that  "  we  derive  our  authority  from 
God  and  the  company,  not  from  a  few  ignorant  subjects  ;■  and  we  alone 
can  call  the  inhabitants  together."     But  the  popular  voice  was  not  stifled, 
for  the  burgomasters  and  schepens  wrote  to  the  West  India  Com- 
pany, complaining  that  their  municipal  powers  were  "too  narrow," 
and  asking  for  such  privileges  as  were  granted  to  their  "  beloved  Amster- 
dam."    The  Gravesend  magistrates  wrote  to  the  States-General, 
presenting  their  gTievances ;  and  another  letter  of  a  similar  char- 
acter, signed  by  Martin  Cregier,  George  Baxter,  and  others,  was  addressed 
to  the  burgomasters  and  schepens  of  the  city  of  Amsterdam.    Mean- 

.  "^  Dec.  30. 

while  the  exigencies  of  the  times  gave  the  disaffected  community 
ail  excellent  opportunity  of  demonstrating  their  actual  loyalty  to  the 
Fatherland.  The  rapid  increase  of  piracy  on  the  Sound,  and  the  dreaded 
invasion  of  the  English,  made  it  necessary  that  a  force  of  men  should  be 
raised  in  each  of  the  towns  for  the  common  defense  ;  and  the  call  was 
responded  to  with  alacrity. 

On  the  IGth  of  December  was  established  in  England  the  new 
institute  of  government,  by  which  Oliver  Cromwell  was  made  Lord 
Protector,  and  the  supreme  legislative  authority  was  vested  in  him  and 


168  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

Parliament.  For  weeks,  during  the  year  past,  that  country  had  been  as 
near  to  anarchy  as  any  civilized  nation  has  ever  been ;  but  Parliament 
was  now  to  be  imperial  in  its  character,  and  the  Protector  was  to  be  as- 
sisted by  a  council  of  state. 

The  spring  was  just  opening,  when  ue\^■s  reached  New  Amsterdam 
that  an  armed  fleet  of  four  ships,  direct  from  England,  were  in  Boston 
1664.  raising  men  for  the  purpose  of  attacking  the  Dutch  possessions 
June,  in  this  country.  The  consternation  may  readily  be  imagined. 
There  was  nothing  talked  or  thought  of  but  preparations  for  war.  Women 
and  other  non-combatants,  goods  and  valuables,  were  removed  with  ra- 
pidity beyond  range  of  the  missiles  of  destruction.  Many  of  the  inhab- 
itants counseled  the  surrender  of  the  city  without  bloodshed;  but  the 
stern  military  chieftain  visited  upon  such  advisers  the  full  measure  of 
his  contempt. 

Just  as  tlie  British  force,  numbering  nine  himdred  foot  and  a  troop  of 

horse,  were  victualed  and  about  setting  out  for  New  Amsterdam,  peace 

was  proclaimed  between  England  and  Holland.^     Cromwell  had 

July  12.  '^  ... 

stipulated  his  own  terms  with  the  United  Provinces  ;  but  his 
foreign  policy  was  bold  and  manly,  and,  if  he  had  robbed  England  of  her 
liberty,  he  at  least  gave  her  glory  in  exchange.  The  nation  which  for 
half  a  century  had  been  of  scarcely  more  w-eight  than  Venice  in  European 

politics,  suddenly  became  the  most  formidable  power  in  the  world, 

"  ^    '  and  her  ruler  an  object  of  mingled  aversion,  admiration,  and  dread. 

Nowhere  was  the  news  received  with  such  abandonment  of  delight  as  in 

New  Amsterdam.     Bells  rung  and  cannon  boomed,  and  a  day  was  set 

apart  by  the  governoi'  for  general  thanksgiving. 

1  Three  hundred  of  these  troops  were  from  Ma.ssadiu.setts,  two  hundred  from  Connecticut, 
one  hundred  .and  tliirty-three  from  New  Haven,  and  two  hundred  from  tlie  fleet. 


I 


sALMnr.s. 


Kill 


CHAPTER    XI. 

1654-1660. 
SALARIES. 

City  Taxation.  —The  Swedes.  —The  Long  Island  Feury.  —  Thomas  Pell.  —Lady 
Moody's  Librauy.  —  The  Gay  Rei'ast. —  Fikst  City  Seal. —  Chkistmas.  —  New 
Year's.  —The  City  Hall.  —  The  First  Church  on  Long  Island.  —  Dominie  Polhe- 
MU.S.  —  The  Expedition  against  the  Swedes.  —The  Indian  Horror.  —  Van  Tien- 
hoven's  Downfall. —The  Lutheran  Persecution.  —  City   Progress. —Dominie 

DrISIUS.  —  HURGHER      RlGHTS. '- UNIQUE     LAWS.  —  ThE     QuAKER     PERSECUTION.— 

Hodgson  at  the  Wheelbarrow. — Stuyvesant's  Interview  with  the  Indian 
Chiefs.  —  "Whitehall."  —  Stuyvesant's  Country-Seat.  —  Indian  Hostilities.  — 
Oliver  Cromwell's  Death. 

THE  burgomasters  and  schepens,  even  before  their  first  year  of  service 
bad  expired,  found  their  duties  so  arduous,  and  involving  so  much 
time  and  trouble,  that  they  petitioned  for  salaries.  Stuyvesant,  ^^^^ 
after  mature  deliberation,  granted  to  each  burgomaster  one  hundred 
and  forty  dollars,  and  to  each  schepen  one  hundred  dollars,  per  annum. 
They  sent  in,  at  the  same  time,  a  double  set  of  names  from  which  he 
might  choose  officers  for  the  coming  year.  He,  however,  retained  the 
same  men  in  office,  except  that  he  filled  two  vacancies  in  the  board  of 
schepens  by  the  appointment  of  Oloff  Stevensen  Van  Cortlandt  and 
Jochem  Pietersen  Kuyter.  The  latter  had  been  successful  in  the  vindica- 
tion of  his  character,  and  was  now  in  possession  of  his  estate  in  Harlem, 
and  restored  to  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  a  feudal  lord.  He  lived  in 
a  house  on  the  north  side  of  Pearl  Street,  between  Broad  Street  and  Han- 
over Square.  He  was  commissioned  by  the  Amsterdam  Chamber  as  city 
sheriff,  it  having  been  found  necessary,  through  the  rapid  increase  of  busi- 
ness, to  separate  the  office  from  that  of  the  province ;  but,  unfortunately, 
before  the  commission  reached  New  Amsterdam,  he  had  been  murdered 
by  the  Indians,  while  on  a  tour  of  exploration  through  the  wilderness  to 
the  North.  The  appointment  was  transferred  to  Jacques  Cortelyou,  an 
educated  Frenchman,  who  was  acting  as  tutor  to  the  sons  of  Hon.  Cor- 
nells Van  Werckhoven.     He  declined  to  accept  it,  because  of  the  peculiar 


170  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

nature  of  the  instructions,  and  it  was  four  years  before  the  city  was 
favored  with  a  sheriff  of  its  own. 

There  was,  from  the  first,  a  want  of  harmony  between  the  governor  and 
the  city  magistrates.  The  latter  wished  to  assimilate  their  municipal 
government  to  that  of  Amsterdam.  They  never  ceased  their  exertions 
until  they  deprived  the  executive  of  the  absolute  power  of  appointment. 
They  clamored,  too,  for  the  management  and  control  of  the  excise.  It 
seemed  eminently  proper  that  this  should  go  into  the  city  treasury,  and 
Stuyvesant  finally  consented  to  the  arrangement.  But  he  immediately 
ordered  that  the  city  should  provide  for  the  support  of  the  troops  which 
had  recently  arrived  from  Holland,  and  for  the  maintenance  of  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  ministers.  The  magistrates  replied,  expressing  their 
willingness  to  furnish  their  quota  to  the  amount  of  one  fifth  of  the  whole 
sum  necessary  to  pay  the  debt  incurred  for  the  repairs  of  the  public  works, 
on  condition  that  they  should  be  empowered  to  levy  taxes  on  all  the  real 
estate  within  their  jurisdiction,  sell  and  convey  lands,  etc. ;  they  would 
also  pay  the  salary  of  one  clergyman,  one  chorister  (to  act  as  beadle  and 
schoolmaster),  one  sheriff,  two  burgomasters,  five  schepens,  one  secretary, 
and  one  court  messenger;  but  as  to  the  military,  they  considered  the 
citizens  already  overtaxed  for  the  fortifications,  and  unable  to  carry  a 
burden  which  was  not  for  the  protection  of  the  city  alone,  but  for  the 
country  in  general. 

When  the  magistrates  rendered  their  first  report  of  excise  income  and 
expenditures,  Stuyvesant  was  greatly  displeased  to  find  that  the  minister's 
salary  had  not  been  paid.  As  he  went  on  with  the  examination  of  the 
papers,  he  discovered  that  they  had  credited  themselves  with 
Sept.  16.  ^^^^^^y  items  which  could  not  be  allowed ;  as,  for  instance,  the  pas- 
sage-money of  Francois  de  Bleue,  their  agent,  to  Amsterdam.  They  had 
not  fulfilled  their  promise  to  complete  the  fort ;  money  borrowed  for  the 
purpose  had  been  otherwise  used  ;  and  the  men  who  had  advanced  the 
loan  were  clamoring  for  repayment.  They  had  not  furnished  the  subsidies 
which  they  had  promised,  and  they  had  failed  to  contribute  their  quota 
towards  the  public  works.  He  took  them  severely  to  task,  and  by  the 
advice  of  his  council  he  reassumed  the  control  of  the  excise  which  he  had 
already  surrendered.  The  subject  was  submitted  to  the  Amster- 
■  dam  Chamber,  which  instructed  the  governor  to  enforce  his  author- 
ity, "  so  that  those  men  may  no  longer  indulge  in  the  visionary  dream 
that  contributions  cannot  be  levied  without  their  consent." 

Meanwhile,  difficulties  had  been  brewing  on  the  South  River.  The 
news  of  the  capture  of  Fort  Casimir  by  the  Swedes  reached  Stuyvesant 
while  he  was  in  the  midst  of  his  hurried  preparations  to  defend  New 


TIIH   SWKDKS.  ITl 

ISrotlitn'liiiul  IVoiu  llic  l'",n-lisli.  Ti.  alli'inpt  the  recovery  of  tliut  distiiiil 
posl  ill  11  inoineiiL  ol'  such  iluii^nr  whs  (»ut  ol'  llie  (lueslioii,  iiinl  Llieieluie  ;iu 
iiccouiiL  of  the  alVair  was  seut  to  HoUaiul,  and  orders  thence  \v(!r(! 
awaited.  lu'Septeniber,  a  Swedish  vessel  entered  the  lower  buy  by 
mistake,  and  sent  to  New  Amsterdam  lor  u  pilot  to  guide  her  back  into 
lh(!  ocean.  Stuyvesant  at  once  ordered  the  arrest  of  the  boat's  crew,  and 
.sent  .soldiers  to  ca])ture  the  vessel  and  bring  its  captain  to  the  fort.  The 
cargo  was  removed  to  the  comjjauy's  warehouse,  and  a  message  seut  to  the 
Swedish  commander  of  Fort  Casimir  that  the  vessel  would  lie  detained 
until  such  time  as  "  a  reciprocal  restitution  should  be  made." 

The  city  magistrates,  about  the  same  time,  demanded  and  obtained  the 
power  to  lease  the  ferry  between  Manhattan  and  Long  Island,  which  some- 
what mollified  their  antagonism  to  their  stern  superior.  Up  to  this  ])eriod 
great  inconvenieuce  had  been  experienced  by  the  community  in  crossing 
the  East  River.  Persons  had  often  been  compelled  to  wait  a  whole  day 
before  they  could  be  ferried  over ;  and  the  trip  w^as  dangerous  at  its  best. 
An  ordinance  was  accordingly  passed,  as  follows :  — 

"  No  one  shall  be  permitted  to  ferry  without  a  license  from  the  magis- 
trates :  the  ferryman  must  keep  proper  servants  and  boats,  and  a  house 
on  both  sides  of  the  river  for  the  accommodation  of  passengers,  and  must 
pass  all  officials  free.  The  said  ferryman  shall  not  be  compelled  to  ferry 
any  persons,  cattle,  or  goods,  without  prepayment,  and  must  not  cross  the 
river  in  a  tempest."  ^ 

The  toll  established  by  law  was,  for  a  wagon  and  two  horses,  twenty 
stuyvers,  or  one  dollar ;  for  a  wagon  autl  one  horse,  eighty  cents  ;  for  an 
Indian,  thirty  cents  ;  for  any  other  person,  fifteen  cents. 

Early  in  November,  news  reached  the  harassed  governor  that  Thomas 
Pell,  an  English  gentleman  and  a  rank  royalist  (formerly  Gentle- 
man of  the  Bedchamber  to  Charles  I.),  who  had  been  obliged  to 
leave  New  Haven  because  he  refused  to  swear  allegiance  to  the  local 
government,  on  the  ground  that  he  had  already  taken  an  oath  in  England, 
had  bought  of  the  Indian  sachem,  Annhook,  a  tract  of  land  in  West- 
chester, including  the  estate  formerly  owned  and  occupied  by  Mi's.  Annie 
Hutchinson.2  Stuyvesant  immediately  dispatched  a  marshal  to  warn  the 
intruder  that  the  same  land  had  long  ago  been  bought  of  the  Indians, 
and  paid  for,  by  other  parties,  and  to  forbid  the  transaction  altogether. 
Pell  took  no  notice  of  the  message,  but  went  on  improving  his  newly 

1  New  Amsterdam  Records. 

-  It  is  supposed  that  the  red  chieftain,  Annhook,  was  the  one  most  concerned  in  thi'  mur- 
der of  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  as  it  was  an  Indian  custom  for  a  warrior  to  assume  the  namo  of  some 
distinguished  victim  of  his  prowess. 


172  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

acquired  possessions.  Thirty-five  years  later,  the  acting  governor  of  New 
York  himself  purchased  the  township  of  New  Rochelle  of  Mr.  Pell.  From 
the  latter  the  town  of  Pelham  derived  its  name ;  the  word  being  of  Saxon 
origin,  compounded  of  the  'two  words,  Pdl  and  ham.  {Ham  signifies 
home,  or  house.) 

During  the  same  month,  the  governor  himself  was  severely  repri- 
manded by  the  Amsterdam  Chamber.  The  following  paragTaph 
'  is  a  key  to  the  document  which  he  received :  — 

"  You  ought  to  act  with  more  vigor,  and  dare  to  punish  refractory  sub- 
jects as  they  deserve." 

Opportunities  for  the  display  of  courage  were  certainly  not  wanting. 
At  that  very  moment,  some  of  the  English  settlers  on  Long  Island  were 
struggling  to  free  themselves  from  the  dominion  of  the  Dutch.  The  con- 
duct of  George  Baxter,  the  former  English  secretary,  and  of  Mr.  Hubbard, 
of  Gravesend,  was  such  that  Stuyvesant  removed  them  from  the  magis- 
tracy. Immediately  after,  he  visited  the  settlement  in  person,  ho])iug  to 
allay  in  some  measure  the  acute  discontent  which  prevailed,  and  to 
regulate  the  future  choice  of  magistrates.  He  was,  for  several  days,  the 
guest  of  Lady  Moody ;  and  Mrs.  Stuyvesant,  who  accompanied  her  hus- 
band, was  greatly  charmed  with  the  noble  English  lady.  The  house  of 
the  latter  in  Gravesend,  though  primitive  in  outward  construction,  was 
furnished  with  comparative  elegance  and  good  taste,  and  contained  the 
largest  collection  of  books  which  had  yet  been  brought  into  the  colony. 
It  was  fortified  against  the  Indians,  and,  in  the  course  of  its  curious  his- 
tory, sustained  several  serious  attacks. 

As  the  winter  advanced,  Stuyvesant  determined  to  make  a  voyage  to 
the  West  Indies,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  commerce  be- 
tween the  Spanish  plantations  and  New  Netherland.  He  was  to 
sail,  on  Christmas  eve,  in  the  Ahraham's  Sacrifice,  and  the  city  magis- 
trates were  impelled  to  call  a  special  meeting  of  the  Common  Council 
and  pass  the  following  significant  resolution  :  — 

"  Whereas,  The  Eight  Honorable  Peter  Stuyvesant,  intending  to  depart, 

the  burgomasters  and  schepens  shall  compliment  him  before  he 

takes  his  gallant  voyage,  and  shall  for  this  purpose  provide  a 

gay  repast,  on  Wednesday  next,  in  the  Council  Chamber  of  the  City 

Hall."  1 

The  list  of  edibles  which  was  furnished  to  the  committee  of  arrange- 
ments was  a  long  one,  and  the  dinner  was  a  feast  indeed.  This  courtesy 
to  the  chief  magistrate  was  productive  of  sincere  good-feeling.  Wit  and 
humor  for  once  took  the  place  of  dignified  austerity.  The  governor  was 
'  New  Amsterdam  Records. 


I'lliST   CITY   SKAL. 


MW 


First  Seal  of  New  Amsterdam. 


gciiial,  even  lo  ruiniliaiitv.  Hcloni  the.  party  separated,  he  preseuted  to 
the  city  a  hjnj,'-de8ired  skal,  which  consisted 
of  the  arms  of  Old  Anistenhun,  —  three 
crosses  saltier,  —  with  a  beaver  f(jr  a  crest. 
On  the  nmutle  above  were  the  initial  let- 
ters C  W.  C.  for  "Chartered  West  India 
Company,"  for  to  that  corporation  the  island 
of  Manhattan  especially  belonged.  Under- 
neath was  the  legend  "  Sicillum  A.mstello- 
])AMr,Nsis  IN  Novo  Belgio,"  and  around  the 
border  was  a  wreath  of  laurel. ' 
The  administration  of  affairs  thuing  Stuy- 

vesant's  absence  was  committed  to  Vice-Governor  De  Sille  and  tlie  council. 
The  Dutch  held  national  festivals  m  high  esteem.     At  a  mecit- 

Dec  14. 

ing  of  the  Common  Council,  on  Monday,  December  14,  the  fol- 
lowing was  placed  on  record  :  — 

"  A.s  the  winter  and  the  liolidays  are  at  hand,  there  shall  be  no  more 
ordinary  meetings  of  this  board  between  this  date  and  three  weeks  after 
Cliristmas.  The  court  messenger  is  ordered  not  to  summon  any  person 
in  tlie  mean  time."  ^ 

Cluistmas  was,  at  that  period,  observed  as  a  religious,  domestic,  and 
merry-making  festival  throughout  England  and  Holland,  as  well  as  in 
some  other  European  countries.  The  Dutch  often  called  it  the  "  children's 
festival."  The  evening  was  devoted  to  the  giving  of  presents,  and  "  Christ- 
mas trees "  were  everywhere  in  vogue.  The  custom  originated  in  the 
Protestant  districts  of  Germany  and  Northern  Europe.  Saint  Nicholas, 
whose  image  presided  as  the  figure-head  of  the  first  emigrant  ship  which 
touched  Manhattan  Island,  and  for  whom  the  first  church  had  been  named, 
was  esteemed  the  patron  saint  of  New  Amsterdam.  The  hero  of  the 
childish  legend  of  Saiita  Claus  —  the  fat,  rosy-cheeked,  little  old  man 
with  a  pipe  in  his  mouth,  driving  a  reindeer  sleigh  over  the  roofs  oi' 
houses  —  is  no  modern  creation  of  fancy.  His  expected  coming  created 
the  same  feverish  excitement,  the  same  pleasurable  expectancy,  the  same 
timorous  speculations,  among  sleepy  little  watchers  centuries  ago  as 
among  the  children  of  New  York  to-day. 

"  New  Year's  "  was  observed  by  the  interchange  of  visits.     Cake,  wine, 
and  punch  were  offered  to  guests.     It  was  one  of  the  most  impor-  ^^^^ 
tant  social  observances  of  the  year,  and  was  conducted  with  much 
ceremony.    Gifts,  on  that  day,  particularly  in  families  and  among  intimate 


Brodhead,  I.  597.      Val  Man,  1848,  384. 
New  Amsterdam  Records,  II.  76,  77  -  81,  92. 


174  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

friends,  were  by  no  means  unusual.  The  custom  of  New- Year's  visits, 
which  had  been  handed  down  from  remote  ages,  prevails  at  the  present 
time  in  nearly  all  the  large  cities  of  the  world. 

The  winter  wore  away  quietly.  The  vice-governor  was  seriously  em- 
barrassed, through  the  constant  uneasiness  and  the  threats  of  the  English 
colonists,  and  longed  for  Stuyvesant's  return  ;  but  nothing  of  any  impor- 
tance occurred.  In  February,  the  city  took  its  first  step  in  the 
direction  of  police  regulations.  Dirck  Van  Schelluyne,  the  lawyer, 
was  appointed  high  constable,  aiul  furnished  with  detailed  instructions  as 
to  his  duties.  As  the  spring  opened,  the  city  magistrates  obtained  control 
of  the  City  Hall  for  the  first  time,  and  ordered  it  "  to  be  emptied 
'  of  the  vast  quantity  of  salt  and  other  trumpery  with  which  it  was 
encumbered  ;  its  lodgers  were  also  cleared  out."  They  then  proceeded  to 
put  it  in  better  repair ;  and  it  became  a  very  respectable-looking  edifice.^ 
It  faced  the  East  liiver,  but  was  so  closely  hemmed  in  by  other  buildings 
that  a  good  view  of  it  was  difficult  to  obtain.  The  Council  Chamber  was 
in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  second  story.  The  prison  was  a  small 
room  on  the  first  floor  in  the  rear.  Upon  the  roof  was  a  handsome  cupola, 
in  which  hung  a  bell.  In  the  year  1699,  the  building  gave  place  to  a 
new  City  Hall  in  Wall  Street,  at  the  head  of  Broad,  and  was  sold  for  one 
hundred  and  ten  pounds  sterling.  Its  stones,  which  were  very  finely  cut, 
may  even  now  be  traced  in  the  foundations  of  some  of  the  stores  in  that 
vicinity. 

It  was  found  necessary  to  protect  the  shore  in  front  of  the  City  Hall 
against  high  tides.  Prior  to  this  date,  a  stone-wall  had  been  constructed 
and  the  street  filled  in ;  but  the  water  washed  between  the  crevices,  and 
it  was  resolved  to  drive  planks  into  the  shore  and  make  a  uniform 
"  sheet  pile  "  extending  the  whole  distance  between  Broad  Street  and  the 
City  Hall,  for  the  ex])enses  of  which  all  the  lot-owners  were  taxed.  The 
public  school  was  removed,  in  May,  from  the  little  room  in  the  City  Hall 
to  a  small  building  on  Pearl  Street  which  had  been  rented  for  the  purpose, 
and  William  Verstius  was  employed  as  teacher. 

For  many  years,  the  people  of  Long  Island  used  to  cross  to  Manhattan 
on  the  Sabbath,  to  attend  public  worship,  except  when  some  clerical 
traveler  preached  in  a  private  house.  They  had  sent  several  petitions  to 
the  government  for  the  establishment  of  a  church,  which  was  accom- 
plished at  Midwout  (Flatbush)  in  1654.  Stuyvesant  appointed  Dominie 
Megapolensis,  John  Snedicor,  and  John  Stryker  to  superintend  the  erec- 
tion of  a  church  edifice,  which  was  to  be  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross, 
twenty-eight  feet  wide  and  sixty  feet  long,  and  twelve  to  fourteen  be- 
'  See  sketch  of  City  Hall  on  page  106. 


DOM [N lie   I'()Llll':]fUS.  175 

twoen  the  boaiiiH.  The  rear  of  it  wus  to  be  used  us  a  minister's  (Iwclling. 
Tiie  construction  ol'  this  first  liouse  of  worship  in  Kings  (.'ounty  occupie*! 
several  years,  although  it  was  aulliciently  advanced  in  th(!  suninici-  t)f 
1(555  to  aUow  of  its  being  opened  for  clnireli  services. 

Dominie  .Fohannes  Tlieodorus  I'olhenius  was  instaHed  pastor  over  this 
church.  He  had  just  arrived  in  New  Netherland  lro.ni  Iha/il,  where  he 
had  been  laboring  as  a  missionary,  lie  had  si)rung  from  an  ancient  and 
highly  respectable  Holland  stock,  and  was  a  gentleman  of  fair  education 
and  moderate  ability.  In  105G,  he  was  joined  by  his  wife  and  family. 
He  had  two  sons,  Theodore  and  Daniel,  from  whom  have  descended  all 
of  the  name  in  this  country.  In  order  to  accommodate  the  peoi)le  scattered 
here  and  there  over  the  wild  region  between  Breuckeleu  and  Gi-avesend, 
it  was  arranged  that  there  should  be  preaching  in  F'latbush  on  Sunday 
mornings,  and  alternately  in  Breuckelen  and  Flatlands  on  Sunday  after- 
noons. Tt  was  not  long  before  Breuckelen  begati  to  grow  mutinous. 
The  minister's  tax  was  a  serious  bugbear.^  The  Sunday  service  was 
pronounced  "poor  and  meager."  The  people  said  "they  were  getting 
only  a  prayer  in  lieu  of  a  sermon,  so  short  that  when  they  supjiosed  it 
just  beginning  it  came  to  an  end,"  —  in  other  words,  they  were  not  getting 
the  wortli  of  their  money, —  and  they  asked  to  be  relieved  from  sup})orting 
such  an  unsatisfactory  gospel.  The  governor  replied  by  sending  a  sherifl" 
to  collect  their  dues.  He  reproved  them  sharply  for  attempting  thus  to 
shirk  the  tultillment  of  their  promises ;  and  he  reminded  them  that  the 
good  minister  was  in  absolute  suffering  for  the  want  of  his  salary,  —  his 
house  being  nniinished,  and  himself,  wife,  and  children  obliged  to  sleep  on 
the  Hoor. 

In  the  month  of  July,  Stuyvesant  returned  from  the  West  Indies. 
He  had  been  wholly  defeated  in  the  object  of  his  voyage,  through 
Cromwell's  peculiar  policy ,2  and  he  was  weary,  sick,  and  disap- 
pointed. He  found  orders  awaiting  him  from  Holland  to  proceed  against 
the  audacious  Swedes  at  Fort  Casimir,  and  to  drive  them  from  every 
point  on  the  South  Elver.  A  squadron  of  armed  vessels  for  his  use  had 
already  arrived.  The  city  fathers  had  fitted  up  another  large  vessel,  to 
swell  the  force.  Volunteers  were  enlisted  from  both  town  and  country. 
During  the  month  of  August,  the  little  city  was  alive  Avith  warlike  prep- 
arations.    Three  North  River  %'essels  were  chartered,  pilots  were  engaged, 

'  Neiu  York  Col.  MSS.,  VIII.  406.     Stiles' s  History  of  Brooklyn,  I.  130-134. 

'•*  Cromwell  had  issued  orders,  during  1654,  for  the  management  and  government  of  the 
West  Indies  ;  and  the  commissioners,  on  their  arrival,  laid  an  embargo  on  all  the  Dutch  ships 
in  these  islands,  eight  of  whifih  were  sei/inl  at  l?arhadoes  alone.  Three  of  the  same  were  un- 
der the  command  of  Governor  Stuyvesant.     O'Cullaglian,  II.  285. 


176  HISTORY  OF   THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

and  provisions  ami  amiuuuitiou  laid  iu  store.     The  25th  of  August  was  ob- 
served as  a  (hiy  of  fasting  and  prayer  for  the  success  of  the  uuder- 

"^'  '  taking.  On  the  first  Sunday  in  September,  after  the  close  of  the 
morning  sermon  in  tlie  fort,  the  seven  vessels,  manned  by  seven  hundred 
men,  sailed  out  of  the  harbor.  They  were  commanded  by  Governor 
Stuyvesant  in  person,  who  was  accompanied  by  Vice-Governor  De  Sille, 
and  Dominie  Megapolensis,  as  chaplain  of  the  expedition. 

In  a  few  days,  they  entered  the  Delaware  Eiver,  passed  Fort  Casimir, 
and  landed  about  a  mile  above.  A  flag  of  truce  was  sent  to  the  fort, 
demanding  its  suiTender,  which,  after  some  parleying,  was  acceded  to 
without  resistance.  The  Swedish  commander  went  on  board  Stuy  vesant's 
vessel  and  signed  a  capitulation.  The  Swedes  were  allowed  to  remove 
their  artillery ;  twelve  men  were  to  march  out  with  full  arms  and  accou- 
terments ;  all  the  rest  retained  their  side-arms,  and  the  officers  held  their 
personal  property.     At  noon,  on  the  25th  of  September,  the  Dutch, 

^^ '  '  with  sounding  bugles  and  flying  banners,  took  possession  of  the 
fort.  Such  of  the  Swedes  as  chose  were  allowed  to  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  New  Netherland  government  and  remain  in  the  country. 
The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  Dominie  JMegapolensis  preached  to  the 
troops.     Towards  evening,  a  report  was  brought  to  the  governor  that  the  * 

Swedish  commander,  Eising,  had  re-assembled  his  ibrces  at  Fort  Christina,  | 

two  miles  farther  up  the  river,  and  was  actively  strengthening  his  posi- 
tion there. 

The  Swedes  had  an  undisputed  right  to  the  land  about  Fort  Christina,* 
having  made  the  purchase  many  years  before  with  the  tacit  consent 
of  the  company.  They  had  been  cultivating  gardens  and  tobacco,  and 
were  making  fair  progress  in  the  erection  of  dwellings.  There  were 
about  two  hundred  independent  settlers.     Stuyvesant  moved  his  fleet  to  ) 

the  mouth  of  the  Brandywine  River,  where  he  anchored,  invested  Fort  ' 

Christina  on  all  sides,  and  demanded  a  surrender.  Eesistance  was  hope- 
less. Articles  of  capitulation  were  quickly  signed,  and  thus  came  to  an 
end  the  Swedish  dominions  on  the  Delaware. 

Meanwhile,  a  terrible  calamity  befell  New  Netherland.  A  ihw  days 
after  the  governor  and  military  had  departed  from  the  peaceful 
Sept.  15.  ^.^^^^  ^.^^  ^^  Manhattan  Island,  Ex-Sheriff  Van  Dyck  shot  an 
Indian  woman  who  was  stealing  peaches  from  his  orchard,  on  the  west 
side  of  Broadway,  below  Trinity  Church.  For  ten  years  the  savages  had 
been  friendly,  and  the  minds  of  the  people  were  lulled  into  a  state  of 
security  in  regard  to  them.     But  the  woman's  tribe  were  inflanicd  by  the 

'  Fort  ("liristina  was  about  thirty-five  miles  Lclow  the  present  site  of  PInladel|ilii:i,  on  a 
■small  stream  called  Christina  Creek. 


77/A'    IMilAX    II Oi; noli.  Ill 

luurdor,  and  tlioy  (lolcMiniia'd  upon  rt-vcn^'i'.  Tlii-y  knew  of  tlic  iihsi-nco 
of  tlie  •,M-eiiter  part  of  tlio  n»alu  population  of  New  AnisUudain,  and 
availed  themselves  ot"  the  oi)])ortunity.  Alxtut  two  tiiousand  armed  war- 
riors, iu  sixty-four  eanoes,  suddenly  appeared  liefore  the  (Mty.  it  was  in 
the  early  morning,  just  as  daylight  was  breaking  in  the  east.  They  landt-d 
stealthily,  and  seattered  themselves  through  the  streets,  breaking  into 
st'veral  houses,  under  pretense  of  searching  for  Indians  from  the  North. 
The  i)eople  were  stricken  with  mortal  terror.  The  city  oHicers  sjming 
In  mi  their  beds,  as  did  also  the  members  of  the  governor's  council,  and 
alttr  a  hurried  conference,  went  bravely  among  the  Indians  and  asked 
to  see  their  sachems.  The  latter  came  to  the  fort,  where  they  were 
received  and  treated  in  the  kindest  manner.  They  finally  promised  to 
take  their  warriore  out  of  the  city,  and  proceeded,  after  much  delay,  to 
their  canoes.  They  crossed  over  to  Nutten  Island,  but  soon  after  dark 
they  returned,  and  ran  up  Broadway  to  the  house  of  Van  Dyck,  whom 
they  killed.  Paulus  Van  der  Grist,  who  lived  next  door,  stepped  out, 
hoping  to  quiet  the  savages,  but  was  struck  down  with  an  ax.  The  city 
was  in  arms  at  once,  and  the  citizens,  Avith  the  aid  of  the  l)urgher-guard, 
drove  the  vindictive  enemy  to  their  canoes. 

But  this  effected  only  a  change  in  the  scene  of  carnage.  The 
Indians  hurried  to  Payouia  and  Hobokeu,  and  massacred  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  they  could  find.  From  there  they  went  to  Staten 
Island,  where  were  eleven  flourishing  plantations,  with  about  ninety 
settlers,  and  laid  waste  the  entire  land.  Thence  they  carried  their  devas- 
tations into  other  parts  of  New  Jersey.  In  three  days,  one  hundred  had 
been  murdered  and  as  many  more  carried  into  capti\-ity ;  twenty-eight 
plantations  had  been  wholly  destroyed,  and  property  had  been  lost  to  the 
amount  of  eighty  thousand  dollars  ! 

The  w'hole  country  was  struck  with  horror  and  fear.  The  farmers  fled 
with  their  families  to  the  fort  for  protection.  The  English  ^'illages  on 
Long  Island  were  threatened,  and  Lady  Moody's  house  at  Gravesend  was 
twice  attacked.  Prowling  bauds  of  savages  flitted  in  and  out  of  the 
woods  on  the  northern  part  of  Manhattan  Island.  Mrs.  Stuyvesant  and 
her  children  were  at  their  country-place,  in  the  neighborhood  of  13th 
Street ;  and  as  the  citizens  were  so  few  in  number  that  it  was  difficult  to 
spare  a  guard  for  her  protection,  ten  resolute  Frenchmen  were  hired  for 
that  duty. 

As  soon  as  possible,  a  message  was  sent  to  the  absent  governor,  who 
hastened  home,  bringing  joy  and  confidence  to  the  distressed  com- 
nmnity.     His  policy  with  regard  to  the  Indians  was  to  give  no  new 
provocation,   and   to    exchange  fire-arms   for  prisoners.     He  succeeded, 

12 


178  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

after  a  short  time,  in  inducing  the  red-men  to  sue  for  peace,  and  then  he 
promptly  concluded  a  treaty  with  them. 

ALout  this  time,  one  great  source  of  misfortune  to  the  province  ^\•as 
removed.  Van  Tienhoven,  who  had  gradually  been  falling  into  almost 
every  known  vice,  was  believed  to  have  given  serious  cause  —  through 
imprudence  when  intoxicated  —  for  the  late  terrible  tragedies.  Every 
honest  heart  and  every  honest  face  was  turned  against  him.  Having 
been  suddenly  detected  in  the  perpetration  of  gross  frauds  upon  the 
revenue,  he  was  arrested.  Stuyvesant  clung  to  him  to  the  last.  He 
tried  to  palliate  his  misconduct,  evidently  blinded  to  the  extraordinary 
profligacy  and  corruption  which  had  ruined  the  miserable  sheriff,  l>ody 
and  soul.  Before  the  time  arrived  for  suljmittiug  his  defense,  Van  Tien- 
hoven absconded,  leaving  his  hat  and  cane  floating  on  the  river,  to  convey 
the  idea  of  suicide.  His  wife  begged  that  his  property  and  papers 
might  not  be  seized,  and  the  execution  was  stayed.  His  brother  Adriaen, 
the  receiver-general,  disappeared  at  the  same  time,  and  was  subsequently 
recognized  in  the  English  service  at  Barbadoes,  in  the  capacity  of  cook. 

In  the  midst  of  these  excitements,  a  few  Lutherans  attempted  to  hold 
religious  meetings.  Stuyvesant,  with  all  his  Christian  virtues,  was  re- 
ligiously intolerant.  He  issued  a  proclamation,  forbidding  the  people  to 
assemble  for  any  religious  service  not  in  harmony  with  the  Eeformed 
rhurch.     This  penal  law,  the  first  against  freedom  of  conscience 

1656.  r  '  n 

which  disgraced  the  statute-liook  of  New  York,  was  rigorously  en- 
forced. Stuyvesant  claimed  that  its  purpose  was  "  to  promote  the  glory 
of  God,  and  the  peace  and  harmony  of  the  country."  Any  minister  who 
should  violate  it  was  to  be  fined  one  hundred  pounds.  Any  person  -who 
should  attend  such  a  meeting  was  to  be  fined  twenty-five  pounds.  Com- 
plaints were  sent  to  Holland,  and  the  company  rebuked  the  governoi'  for 
his  bigotry.     The  directors  wrote  :  — 

"  We  would  fain  not  have  seen  your  worship's  hand  set  to  the  placard 
against  the  Lutherans,  nor  have  heard  that  you  oppressed  them  with  the 
imprisonments  of  which  they  have  complained  to  us.  It  has  always  been 
our  intention  to  let  them  enjoy  all  calmness  and  tranquillity.  Wherefore 
you  will  not  hereafter  publish  any  similar  placards  without  our  ])re\-i()us 
consent,  but  allow  all  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion  in  their  own 
houses." 

The  Lutherans  in  Holland  soon  after  sent  a  clergyman,  the  Eev.  Er- 
nestus  Goetwater,  to  New  Amsterdam,  to  organize  a  church.  It  was  with 
the  consent  of  the  company,  and  the  movement  was  thought  very  noble 
and  tolerant  in  those  dark  days  of  the  seventeenth  century.  There  was, 
however,  in  the  instructions  sent  to  the  governor  a  qualification  whicli  he 


THE   LrrilERAS   I'EnSECVTlDS.  179 

intori)r('l('(l  iiccordin^  to  liis  u\\  n  ;irl»itriiiv  views.  Tlicn;  .should  Ik^  iki 
(•(Diirn/ic/rs.  'I'lie  clerj,'}'  of  the  Kctoiiiu-d  (!liiinli  in  Ni!\v  AmsUM-diini  rc- 
iiionstnited  iiguiust  iKii'iiiiUiiii;  tlic  I.utlicnm  minister  "  Uj  do  iiny  clerical 
.s('rvi(!e  whatev<'r."  'riioy  said  it  wnuld  cncounige  "  heresy  and  schism," 
and  that  the  estahlisiiod  religion  "  was  the;  only  lawful,  l)eing  commanded 
Ity  the  Word  of  (!od."  Stuyvesant  finally  ordered  (loetwater  to  hiavi;  the 
colony  and  return  to  Holland.'  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  compel  parcints 
of  Lutheran  principles  to  as.si.st  at  the  baptism  of  their  children  in  the 
Reformed  Cliurcli.  If  they  refused,  they  were  imi)risoned  and  fined.  The 
law  applied  eciually  to  all  denominations.  There  were  a  few  liaptists  in 
Flushing.  They  met  in  the  house  of  one  of  the  magistrates  of  the  town, 
and  a  man  without  license  preached,  administered  the  sacrament,  and 
baptized  several  persons  in  the  river.  He  was  arrested,  fined  one  thousand 
])ouuds,  and  banished  from  the  province.  The  magistrate  was  removed 
from  office,  as  a  penalty  for  allowing  the  meeting  to  be  held  in  his  hou.se. 

The  city  fathers  were  unceasingly  industrious.  They  enacted  laws 
and  ordinances  with  as  nuu-h  grace  as  their  ruler  assumed  sovereignty. 
They  condemned  all  "  flag  roofs,  wooden  chimneys,  hay-stacks,  hen-houses, 
and  hog-pens,"  which  were  located  on  the  principal  streets.  They  ordered 
owners  of  gardens  to  either  sell  or  improve  them.  The  penalty  for  refu- 
sal was  taxation.  They  compelled  buyers  of  city  lots  by  the  terms  of 
purchase  to  build  upon  them  without  delay.  The  average  price  of  the 
host  city  lots  had  reached  fifty  dollars.  Houses  rented  at  from  fourteen 
to  one  hundred  dollars  per  annum.  They  surveyed  and  established  the 
streets,  seventeen  in  number.  This  occurred  in  July.^  The  next 
year,  they  began  to  pave.  The  first  street  honored  with  paving- 
st(mes  was  De  Hoogh,  —  what  is  now  Stone  Street,  between  Broad  and 
Whitehall.  In  1658,  De  Brugh  or  Bridge  Street,  so  called  from  a  bridge 
which  had  been  built  across  the  ditch  at  Broad  Street,  was  improved  in 
like  manner.  Within  the  next  two  years,  all  the  streets  most  used  were 
paved.  These  pavements  were  of  cobble-stones,  with  the  gutters  in  the 
middle  of  the  street.     Sidewalks,  were  not  as  yet  contemplated. 

The  census  of  the  city  was  taken  in  1656.  The  inhabitants  were  found 
to  number  one  thousand,  of  which  a  large  proportion  were  negro  slaves. 
The  adjoining  cut  is  a  copy  of  Augustine  Heerman's  sketch  of  New  York 
in  1656,  which  was  widely  copied  and  circulated  in  Europe. 

1  This  harsh  decree  was  suspended,  out  of  regard  to  the  feeble  health  of  Rev.  Mr.  Gootwater. 

2  The  names  of  the  streets  were  :  Tc  Marekvelt,  De  Heere  Straat,  De  Waal,  Tc  Water, 
De  Perel  Straat,  Aghter  De  Perel  Straat,  De  Browner  Straat,  De  Winckel  Straat,  De  Bovor 
Graft,  Tc  Marekvelt  Steegie,  De  Smee  Straat,  De  Sniits  Valley,  De  Hoogh  Straat,  De  Brugh 
Straat,  De  Heere  Graft,  De  Prince  Graft,  De  Prince  Straat. 


180 


UISTOEY    OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 


i 


There  was,  on  the  line  of  Moore  Street,  one  small  wharf  running  out  i'roni 
Pearl,  but  extending  a  little  farther  into  the  stream  than  lo\\- -water  mark. 
Ships  usually  moored  in  the  East  Eiver,  and  sent  their  cargoes  ashore  in 
scows,  which  were  compelled  to  come  up  to  the  head  of  the  pier.  The 
increase  of  the  shipping  rendered  it  desirable  that  this  wharf  should  be 
elongated  about  fifty  feet,  and  it  was  accordingly  done.  A  market-stand 
for  country  wagons  was  established,  the  same  year,  on  an  uninclosed 
space  near  the  Bowling  Green.  Allard  Anthony  opposed  the  measure  in 
the  board  of  schepens,  because  the  selected  site  was  in  front  of  his  own 
house,  and  his  wife  and  daugliters  would  object.     But  he  ^\■as  overruled 


Viewof  New  York,  1656. 

by  the  majority.  Three  years  later  a  yearly  fair  for  the  sale  of  cattle  was 
instituted,  and  the  exchange  for  buyers  and  sellers  was  located  beside  this 
market-stand.  The  cattle  were  fastened  to  posts,  driven  for  the  purpose, 
on  the  west  side  of  Broadway,  in  front  of  the  graveyard.^  The  fair  com- 
menced October  20,  and  closed  late  in  November.  It  brought  strangers 
to  the  city  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  even  from  New  England,  and 
threw  business  constantly  in  the  way  of  the  merchants.  This  fair  existed 
for  more  than  sixty  years. 

Dominie  Drisius  lived  in  a  pretty  cottage  on  the  north  side  of  Pearl 
Street,  below  Broad,  —  the  lot  was  twenty  feet  front,  extending  through 
to  Bridge  Street.  He  exerted  a  healthful  influence  over  the  church,  and 
also  took  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs.  In  1653,  he  was  sent  as 
ambassador  to  Virginia,  and  concluded  an  important  commercial  treaty 
with    Governor  Bennet,  including  the    concession  to    New   Netherland 


1  The  fii'st  Inirial-ground  in  New  York  wii.s  on  the  west  side  of  Broadwiiy,  near  Morris 
Street.  Just  north  of  it  was  the  large  stone  house  of  Paulus  Van  der  Grist,  before  mentioned 
(pp.  161,  177).  The  orchards  and  gardens  of  the  latter  were  highly  cultivated,  and  extended 
to  the  very  edge  of  the  North  River.  Some  years  later  this  fine  property  was  owned  mid 
occupied  by  Hon.  Francis  Rombouts. 


lunaiiKii  rh.hts.  181 

iiicrcliants  ol'  tlic  piiwcr  In  colliMt  dclits  diu!  tluMii  in  Vir>,'ini!i.'  WIkmi 
tlir  (Inmiiiif  lirsl  iiiri\c(l  in  New  \tn\i,  lit;  wiis  ii  niiddlc-aj^tid  widower, 
lie  sulisc'<iui'nlly  married  Lyslx'tli  (^Kliziibotli),  tho  widow  of  Isaac;  (Jrc;- 
vi  liicl.  Shi!  ludd  a  lar<^(!  i)roj)t'rty  in  her  own  ri;.,'hl,  and  is  often  nieutioned 
u|Min  tlie  tax-lists  as  "  Mother  Drisius."  Dominie  Mega])olensis  owned  a 
suiidl,  comfortable  house  iu  the  vicinity  of  Beaver  Street.  The  most 
l)retentioiis  house  in  the  city  liad  recently  been  built  by  Pieter  Corueliseii 
Vauderveeu,  a  rich  merchant,  who  was  described  as  "  old  and  suitable  " 
for  a  great  burgher.  He  was  for  a  time  one  of  the  schepeus,  and  he  had 
held  many  offices  of  trust  in  the  church  and  community.  He  married, 
in  1G52,  Elsie  Loockernuins,  who,  after  his  death,  l)ecame  the  wife  of  Jacol) 
Leisler.  Pearl  Street  was  the  favorite  locality  for  building,  aud  was  well 
lined  witli  dwellings.^  On  Bridge  Street  lived  Hendrick  Kip.  His  house 
was  small,  but  his  lot  was  ninety  feet  front  and  seventy  deep.  His  nearest 
neighbor,  Abraham  Verplauck,^  the  ancestor  of  the  Verplanck  lamily  of 
New  York,  was  one  of  the  oldest  citizens ;  he  also  owned  a  farm  near 
Fidton  Street.     Thomas  Hall  lived  on  a  hill  in  the  vicinity  of  Peck  Slip. 

On  the  site  of  Trinity  Church  aud  churchyard  there  was  a  fine  gar- 
den belonging  to  the  company,  between  which  and  the  Van  der  Grist 
estate  on  the  south,  Governor  Stuyvesant  granted  to  each  of  his  two 
sons,  Nicliolas  William  and  l^althazar,  a  lot  containing  ninety-three  feet 
front  and  two  hundred  and  forty-eight  feet  deep,  to  the  North  River 
shore. 

The  effort  to  sustain  a  gooil  ])ul)lic  school  appears  on  nearly  every  page 
of  the  records.  As  the  ciiildi'en  increased  in  numbers,  a  larger  building 
than  the  one  on  Pearl  Street  was  procured.  William  Verstius  was  suc- 
ceeded as  teacher  by  Harmen  Van  Hoboken,  who  was  also  a  famous  singer 
and  acted  as  church  chorister.  Five  years  afterward,  he  was  superseded 
by  Evert  Pietersen,  because  of  alleged  inattention  to  his  ]nxpils.  The 
salary  was  then  fourteen  and  one  half  dollars  per  month,  with  a  margin 
of  fifty  dollars  per  annum  for  board. 

About  this  time,  the  system  of  great  and  small  "  burgher  rights  "  was 
introduced  into  the  city.  Metropolitan  immunities  were  constantly  in- 
fringed by  peddlers,  who  sold  goods  and  departed  with  the  proceeds. 
Stuyvesant's  new  law  required  every  man  to  open  a  store  within  the  city 
limits  and  pay  a  fee  of  eight  dollars  before  commencing  trade.  In  this 
way  he  obtained  the  small  burgher  right.  All  natives  of  the  city,  resi- 
dents of  a  year  and  a  half,  salaried  otticers  of  the  company,  and  husbantls 

'  Albany  Records,  IX.  59. 

*  There  were  on  Pearl  Street  forty-three  liouses  and  a  few  shops. 

*  Abraham  Verplanck  had  two  sons,  flulian  and  Isaac. 


182  HISTORY  OF   THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

of  the  daughters  of  burghers,  were  entitled  to  the  same  privilege.  The 
great  burghers  comprised  burgomasters,  schepens,  governors,  councilors, 
clergymen,  military  officers,  and  all  their  male  descendants.  The  city 
officers  were,  from  that  time  forth,  to  be  chosen  from  this  class.  They 
were  to  be  exempt  for  one  and  a  half  years  from  watches,  expeditions, 
and  arrests  by  inferior  courts.  The  great  burgher  right  could  be  secured 
by  the  payment  of  twenty  dollars  ;  but  not  many  were  disposed  to  buy  a 
right  which  all  disregarded.  The  system  proved  a  failure  iu  New  Am- 
sterdam as  it  had  done  in  old  Amsterdam,  where  it  originated. 

Some  of  the  laws  of  that  period  were  strikingly  unique.  It  was  ex- 
pressly enjoined  upon  women  that  they  should  not  scold.  The  penalty 
for  this  fault  was  arrest,  imprisonment,  and  fine.  In  aggravated  cases,  the 
grave  law-givers  resorted  even  to  public  whipping. 

One  Wolfert  Weber,  the  proprietor  of  a  small  tavern  near  the  Fresh 
Water  Pond,  entered  this  curious  complaint  against  Judith  Verbeth :  — 

"  The  defendant  has  for  a  long  time  pestered  him ;  she  came  with  her 
sister  Sara  over  to  his  house  last  week,  and  beat  him  [the  plaintiff]  and 
afterwards  threw  stones  at  him.  He  pleads  that  said  Judith  be  ordered 
to  let  him  live  quietly  in  his  own  house." 

On  the  8th  of  May,  1657,  we  find  Nicholas  Verbeth  complain- 
ing of  Wolfert  Weber  about  a  i)ile  uf  stone.     Verbeth  stated  his 
case  thus :  — 

"  If  anybody  removes  what  belongs  to  another  without  his  knowledge, 
it  is  thieving ;  my  father  deposited  some  stone  by  the  Fresh  Water  Pond, 
before  his  own  door,  and  Weber  removed  it ;  whereupon  we  had  words, 
and  Weber  promised  to  deliver  other  stone  instead;  we  want  Weber 
ordered  to  bring  back  to  the  place  the  savie  stone."  The  court  decided  for 
the  plaintiff,  and  onlered  the  stone  returned  within  eight  days. 

Hon.  Nicasius  De  Sille  prosecuted  a  man  for  stealing  "  three  half- 
beavers,  two  nose-cloths,  and  a  pair  of  linen  stockings."  The  court  sen- 
tenced the  offender  to  be  whipped  within  the  Council  Chamber  and 
banished  from  the  city.  Slander  was  esteemed  a  rank  offense.  A  certain 
Jan  Adamzen,  for  slandering  certain  respectable  persons,  was  coudenmed 
to  be  "  stuck  through  the  tongue  with  a  red-hot  iron,  and  banished  from 
the  province." 

The  severity  of  sentences,  the  peculiar  modes  of  punishment,  etc.,  were 
but  a  feature  of  the  times.  They  originated  on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean. 
The  city  magistrates  seem  to  have  had  a  conscientious  regard  for  e([uity 
and  justice,  and  set  themselves  like  flint  against  Sabbath-breaking, 
drunkenness,  and  all  the  popular  vices.  It  was  a  mixed  population  they 
were  trying  to  control,  and  the  task  could  have  been  neither  easy  nor 


CMQIK    LAWS.  183 

iifj;icoal)lo.  The  governor  tieatetl  his  siibordiuutcs  with  iirolound  rcispccl, 
so  loni;  iv«  thoy  were  directly  in  the  line  of  their  duties.  In  his  eoniinu- 
niciiLioiis  to  the  city  nuigistrutes  he  was  e.\cei)tionally  courteous,  always 
pRMcdiui;  his  sij^nature  with  "  Your  High  Mightinesses'  allectiouate 
iMJcnd  and  I  )irc(l(ir."  Hul  he  curlaihid  their  j)ow(;r  in  all  diivctions. 
One  day,  some  coniniou  i)eoi)le  appeared  before  him,  much  aggricvcil 
because  he  had  forbidden  the  servants  of  the  iarmers  "  to  riile  the  goose  " 
at  the  feast  of  Shrovetide.  He  told  them  "  it  was  unprofitable  and  unne- 
cessary and  criminal  to  celebrate  such  pagan  and  popish  leasts,  and  though 
it  was  tolerated  in  some  places  in  Holland,  and  conni\ed  at  l)y  magis- 
trates here,  he  sht)uld  enact  such  ordinances  as  would  tend  to  the  glory 
of  God  without  the  consent  of  a  little  court  of  justice  "  ;  adding,  "  I  under- 
stand my  quality  and  authority,  and  the  nature  of  my  conunission,  better 
than  others,  and  hoi)e  you  will  not  vex  and  trouble  me  continually." ' 

In  1658,  a  law  was  enacted  forbidding  the  whipping  of  negro  slaves 
without  first  obtaining  permission  of  the  city  magistrates.     Anoth- 
er remarkable  law  forbade  men  and  women  to  live  together  until 
legally  married  ;  for  it  had  been  an  ancient  custom  —  of  much  longer 
standing  than  the  young  city  —  to  "  bundle"  after  the  publication  of  the 
banns. 

The  same  year,  the  first  fire  company  was  organized.  It  was  called  the 
"  Rattle  Watch,"  and  consisted  of  eight  men,  who  were  to  do  duty  from 
nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  until  morning  drum-beat.  Two  hundred  and 
fifty  tire-buckets,  with  hooks  and  ladders,  were  imported  from  Holland, 
reaching  New  Amsterdam  on  the  12th  of  August. 

Long  Island  was  one  continiuvl  source  of  anxiety  to  the  men  in  })0wer 
at  New  Amsterdam.  George  Baxter  returned  from  New  England  the 
next  year  after  he  was  dismissed  from  the  magistracy  at  Gravesend  (he 
crossed  Long  Island  Sound  on  the  ice),  and  was  arrested  in  the  coui-se 
of  a  few  days  for  hoisting  the  flag  of  England  and  "  reading  seditious 
l)apers  to  the  people."  For  more  than  a  year,  he  lay  in  the  dungeon  of 
the  fort.  He  was  almost  forgotten,  when  Sir  Henry  Moody  and  others 
petitioned  so  earnestly  to  have  him  removed  to  a  more  comfortable 
iipartment,  that  he  was  released  on  bail.  He  immediately  drew  up  a 
petition  to  Cromwell  to  be  emancipated  from  Dutch  rule  and  taken  under 
his  protection ;  and,  after  obtaining  a  large  number  of  signers,  he  left  the 
country.  He  soon  after  appeared  in  England,  and  was  active  in  trying  to 
vindicate  the  right  of  that  nation  to  the  entire  territory  of  New  Nether- 
land.  He  was  the  mortal  enemy  of  Stuy\'esant,  both  at  home  and  abroad. 
Cromwell's  secretary  wrote  to  the  English  residents  of  Long  Island  a  long 

'  Neio  Amsterdam  Records. 


184  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

letter,  which  Baxter  sent  to  Gravesend  by  one  of  his  eniissaiies,  with  in- 
structions to  have  it  publicly  read.  Stuyvesant  seized  the  man  and  the 
document.  The  former  he  imprisoned ;  the  latter  he  forwarded  to  Hol- 
land, unopened.  It  seemed  particularly  necessary  to  crush  every  symp- 
tom of  rebellion  on  Long  Island,  as  it  was  a  noted  resort  for  robbers  and 
pirates.  "  The  scum  of  New  England  is  all  drifting  into  New  Nether- 
land,"  said  the  venerable  Dominie  Megapolensis.  "  Why  do  you  harbor 
persons  who  are  driven  from  the  other  colonies  as  worse  than  a  pestilence  ?  " 
asked  Dominie  Drisius  of  the  governor. 

Just  at  this  critical  moment,  a  ship  amved,  bringing  some  Quakers 
who  had  been  expelled  from  New  England.  Of  these,  two  women,  with 
more  zeal  than  discretion,  went  preaching  through  the  streets.  They  were 
arrested,  and  taken  to  the  prison  in  the  fort,  where  they  were  confined  in 
separate  apartments.  After  being  examined,  they  were  placed  on  board 
a  ship  bound  for  Ehode  Island.  Eobert  Hodgson,  one  of  the  Quakers, 
went  over  to  Hempstead,  intending  to  preach  there.  He  was  arrested  while 
walking  in  an  orchard,  and  examined  by  the  Hempstead  magistrates. 
A  message  was  sent  to  the  governor,  who  dispatched  an  armed  party  for 
the  poor  man,  the  same  evening.  His  Bible  and  papers  were  taken  from 
him,  and  he  was  pinioned  in  a  painful  position  for  twenty-four  hours. 
Two  women  who  had  entertained  him,  one  of  whom  had  a  nursing  infant 
of  four  months,  were  also  arrested.  The  latter  were  tied  into  a  cart,  to 
the  rear  end  of  which  Hodgson,  still  pinioned,  was  fastened  with  his  head 
downwards  ;  and  thus  were  they  conveyed  over  the  bad  roads  to  the  city, 
where  they  were  placed  in  separate  dungeons,  l^poii  trial,  Hodgson  was 
sentenced  to  two  years'  hard  labor  with  a  negro  at  the  wheelbarrow-,  or  to 
pay  a  fine  of  two  hundred  and  forty  dollars.  Being  destitute  l)oth  of 
money  and  friends,  he  was,  a  few  days  afterwards,  brought  forth  and 
chained  to  the  wheelbarrow.  In  vain  he  argued  that  he  was  unused  to 
labor,  he  was  ordered  to  proceed ;  but  he  refused  to  move.  A  tarred 
rope  some  four  inches  thick  was  then  put  into  the  hands  of  a  strong  negro, 
who  beat  the  Quaker  until  he  fell  exhausted.  He  was  lifted  up  and  again 
beaten  until  it  was  estimated  that  he  had  I'eceived  one  hundred  blows. 
AU  day,  standing  in  the  heat  of  a  broiling  sun,  his  body  bruised  and 
swollen,  he  was  kept  chained  to  the  wheelbarrow.  At  last  he  fainted. 
He  was  thrown  into  the  cell  for  the  night,  and  the  next  day  again  chained 
to  the  wheelbarrow.  A  sentinel  was  placed  over  him,  to  prevent  any 
conversation  with  his  companion.  As  before,  he  refused  to  work.  The 
third  day,  he  was  led  forth  chained,  and  was  still  indomitable  in  Ins  re- 
sistance.    Finally,  he  was  taken  before  the  governor. 

Stuyvesant  told  him  that  he  must  work ;  that  he  should  be  whipped 


77/ A'  (,)/■  A /{/■:/,'  ri:i:si:ccTi()N.  1^.') 

overy  (lay  until  lie  did.  Thi'  prisoner  looked  np  l.oldly  and  demanded  to 
111!  (olil  wlial  law  he  had  hroken.  He  was  not  answered,  iiuL  .si;nL  away  in 
contcnipt,  and  chained  a-^ain  lo  ihe  w  heelliai  row.  lie  wa.s  now  conlined  to 
hi.s  dun},f('(m  Tor  two  or  three  days,  without  e\cn  incad  and  water;  l>nt,  as 
this  liron.^ht  no  .syniiitoins  oi' surrender,  a  new  torture  was  tried.  Hit  was 
taken  to  a  juivate  room,  stripped  to  the  waist,  and  susjiended -from  i\w. 
ceiliii"^  l>y  his  hands,  with  a  heaw  lo^  of  wood  fastened  to  his  feel.  He 
was  then  laslu'.d  l»y  a  negro  until  his  llesh  was  eut  to  i)ieees  ;  and,  after 
two  days' respite  in  liis  dungeon,  this  barbarity  was  repeated.  He  begged 
to  see  some  ]ierson  of  his  own  nation  ;  and  at  la.st  a  \)0ov  Englishwoman 
came  and  bathed  his  wounds.  She  thought  he  etjuld  not  live  until  morn- 
ing, and  informed  her  husband  of  his  terrible  condition.  The  man  hurried 
to  the  sheriir,  and  ottered  a  fat  ox  to  be  allowed  to  remove  Hodgson  to  his 
house  until  he  recovered;  but  he  was  informed  that  the  whole  fine  must 
be  paid  before  any  mercy  could  be  shown  to  the  prisoner.  By  this  time, 
the  pitiful  story,  having  got  well  noised  al)out,  reached  the  ears  of  Mi-s. 
Bayard,  the  governor's  sister,  who  resolutely  interfered  in  behalf  of  the 
sntterer,  and  obtained  his  release. 

Hodgson  was  by  no  means  the  last  of  the  Quakers  of  that  epoch.  Ber- 
secution  seemed  to  multiply  their  numbers  and  increase  their  self-confi- 
dence. Rumors  that  they  were  creeping  about  among  the  Long  Island 
towns  led  to  the  strictest  watchfulness  on  the  part  of  the  magistrates, 
and  any  one  who  ventured  to  lodge  or  feed  a  Quaker,  man  or  woman,  was 
promptly  arrested  and  imprisoned.  Mrs.  Scott  and  Mrs.  Weeks,  having 
been  accused  of  "  absenting  themselves  from  public  worship  on  the  Lord's 
day,  to  attend  a  conventicle  in  the  woods  where  there  were  two  Quakers," 
were  imprisoned.  At  their  examination,  they  justified  themselves,  declar- 
ing that  they  had  broken  no  law  and  done  no  wrong.  Nevertheless,  they 
were  compelled  to  pay  a  heavy  fine.  There  were  a  gi-eat  number  of 
similar  instances.  Three  men,  suspected  of  being  Quakers,  were  brought 
before  the  governor  and  council,  and  at  once  confessed  themselves  such. 
But  the  tide  of  feeling  had,  by  this  time,  become  so  strong  against  the 
tarred  rope  and  wheelbarrow,  that  the  prisoners  were  only  sent  back  to 
Communipaw,  whence  they  had  come,  with  an  admonition  to  remain 
there.  The  good  dominies  wrote  to  the  West  India  Company  of  the 
alarming  spread  of  sectarianism  in  New  Netherland  ;  l)ut  the  only  answer 
was  a  quiet  recommendation  to  allow  the  people  to  indulge  their  various 
religious  beliefs. 

All  at  once,  the  Indians  were  again  upon  the  war-path.  This  time,  Eso- 
pus  was  threatened.  A  messenger  came  in  haste  to  the  city  for  assistance. 
The  governor  responded  in  person,  accompanied  by  fifty  soldiers  under 


186  HISTORY   OF  THE  CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

Govert  Loockermans.     On  Ascension  Thursday,  the  settlers,  to  the  num- 
ber of  sixty  or  more,  assembled  at  the  house  of  Jacob  Janseu  Stol 

May  28. 

'  for  religious  services.  Stuy  vesaut  was  present,  aud  took  the  oppor- 
tunity to  urge  the  farmers  to  unite  in  a  village,  instead  of  living  so  far 
apart  from  each  other.  It  seemed  almost  impossible  to  accomplish  this, 
as  their  crops  were  already  in  the  ground  and  in  need  of  constant  care 
and  protection.  They  were  but  just  recovering  from  their  previous 
losses,  and  could  ill  aftbrd  the  time  necessary  for  removal  and  for  the  con- 
struction of  defenses.  They  begged  that  the  soldiers  might  remain  until 
after  harvest.  "  No,"  said  Stuy  vesant,  with  emphasis ;  "  but  they  shall 
remain  with  you  until  the  extra  work  is  done,  if  you  wiU  agree  at  once 
upon  the  site  of  your  village." 

Meanwhile,  messengers  had  been  sent  to  all  the  great  Indian  sachems 
within  easy  distance,  to  invite  them  to  an  interview  with  the  "  big  white 
sachem  from  Manhattan."  They  came,  sixty  or  more,  including  women 
and  children.  The  interview  took  place  under  an  immense  tree,  just 
outside  Mr.  Stol's  garden-fence.  Stuyvesant  went  out  to  greet  them, 
without  any  guard,  and  attended  only  by  Govert  Loockermans,  who  acted 
as  interpreter.  One  of  the  chiefs  arose  and  made  a  speech.  He  detailed 
in  full  the  wrongs  practiced  upon  the  Indians  for  the  last  twenty  years. 
When  the  sachem  sat  down,  Stuyvesant  was  on  his  feet.  His  reply  was 
a  masterpiece  of  concentrated  eloquence.  He  said  he  had  nothing  to  do 
with  events  which  had  occurred  before  his  time ;  that  such  rememljrances 
were  buried  when  peace  was  agreed  upon.  With  his  bold  dark  eye 
emitting  flashes  which  seemed  to  penetrate  the  red  skins  of  the  stalwart 
warriors  around  him,  he  demanded,  "  Has  any  injury  been  done  you  iu 
person  or  property  since  the  conclusion  of  peace,  or  since  /  came  into  the 
country  ? "  They  were  silent.  He  paused  a  moment,  and  then  rapidly 
enumerated  the  murders  and  affronts,  the  burning  of  houses  and  the 
killing  of  cattle,  which  he  and  his  subjects  had  received  at  their  hands. 
"  You  are  overbearing  and  insolent,"  he  said.  "  I  have  come  to  make  war 
upon  you,  unless  you  surrender  the  murderer,^  and  make  good  all  dam- 
ages. We  have  not  had  a  foot  of  your  land  without  paying  you  for  it. 
You  came  and  asked  us  to  buy  this  land  and  make  a  settlement  here ; 
and  now  you  vex  and  threaten  us." 

An  old  chief  responded.  He  said  the  late  murder  had  been  connnitted 
by  a  Minnisinck  Indian,  who  was  skulking  now  at  a  great  distance  away. 
He  complained  of  the  selling  of  fire-water  to  his  tribe,  which  had  made 
great  mischief  He  said  they  had  no  malice  against  the  white  men.  but 
the  young  men  wanted  to  fight. 

'   An  Eso])Us  ruiincr  liiid  licrii  kilk'd,  :iiul  two  houses  Iniriuvl. 


I 


W II  IT  Ell  ALL.  187 

Stuyvosiiiit  sprang  to  his  t'ect,  and  IuuUmI  (Icliaiicc  at  tlw  youii^'  braves. 
"Let  them  step  forth,"  he  shouted,  "1  will  place  niau  a;,'aiust  niau ; 
yes,  I  will  place  twenty  aj^ainst  forty  of  your  hot-heads.  Now  is  your 
time.  But  it  is  unmanly  and  mean  and  contemptible  to  threaten  farmers 
and  women  and  children,  who  are  not  warriors." 

The  Indians  were  humiliated.  They  dared  not  accept  the  challenge. 
They  laiil  down  a  few  fathoms  of  wampum,  and  e.\pres.sed  their  sorrow  for 
what  had  been  done  to  injure  the  Esopus  .settlers.  In  the  course  of  the 
negotiations,  the  proposed  village  was  decided  upon.  A  spot  about  two 
hundred  and  ten  yards  in  circumference  was  cho.seu  at  the  bend  of  the 
creek,  where  three  sides  could  be  surrounded  with  water.  It  belonged  to 
the  Indians,  who  at  first  agreed  to  sell  it,  and  then  formally  ottered  it  as 
a  gift  to  the  governor,  —  "  to  grease  his  feet,"  they  said,  "  because  he  had 
taken  so  long  a  journey  to  visit  them."  They  suddenly  seemed  to  hold 
the  "  great  white  sachem  "  in  profound  respect.  Stuyvesant  remained  at 
Esopus  until  the  buildings  were  removed  to  the  new  village,  a  guard- 
iiou.se  was  erected,  a  bridge  was  thrown  across  the  creek,  and  temporary 
([uarters  were  prepared  for  twenty-four  soldiers  that  he  ])roposed  to  leave 
behind,  to  keep  the  Indians  on  their  good  behavior. 

As  soon  as  the  governor  returned,  repairs  upon  Fort  Amsterdam,  which 
had  been  dragging  along  for  mouths,  were  prosecuted  with  vigor.  The 
uegToes,  luider  an  overseer,  built  a  stone-wall  some  three  feet  thick 
and  ten  feet  high  around  the  fortress.  The  governor's  house  was 
getting  old  and  rusty.  He  accordingly  built  for  himself  a  gubernatorial 
mansion  of  hewn  stone,  and  called  it  "  Whitehall."  It  was  located  upon 
the  street  which  was  subsequently  named  for  it.  It  was  surrounded  by 
gardens  on  three  sides,  and  a  rich  velvet  lawn  in  front  extended  to  the 
water's  edge,  where  lay  the  governor's  barge  at  the  foot  of  fine  cut  stone 
.steps.  Upon  the  north  side  of  the  grounds  there  was  an  imposing 
gateway. 

The  governor's  country-seat,  where  he  and  his  family  usually  spent  the 
summer  months,  embraced  the  greater  portion  of  the  present  Eleventh, 
Sixteenth,  and  Seventeenth  Wards.  It  cost  him  originally  sixty-four  hun- 
dred guilders.  His  house  was  a  great,  commodious,  comfortable,  home- 
like specimen  of  Holland  architecture.  His  gardens  were  remarkably 
fine,  and  his  land  Avas  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  kept  from  thirty 
to  fifty  negro  slaves,  besides  a  number  of  white  servants,  constantly  em- 
ployed in  the  improvement  of  his  grounds.  The  road  to  the  city  had 
been  put  in  good  condition,  and  shade  trees  were  planted  on  each  side 
where  it  crossed  the  governor's  property. 

The  settlement  of  Harlem  was  commenced  through  an  otter  bv  the 


I 


188 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 


government  to  give  any  twenty-five  families  who  would  remove  to  that 
remote  part  of  Manhattan  Island  a  coiu't  and  clergyman  of  their  own 
and  a  ferry  to  Long  Island.  Upon  the  bank  of  the  Harlem  River  a  little 
tavern  was  built,  which  became  quite  a  resort  for  pleasure-parties  from 
the  city.  It  was  called  the  "  Wedding  Place."  The  road  beyond  Stuy- 
vesant's  coxmtry-seat  was  little  more  than   a   bridle-path   through  the 


^-  TEN  BRO 


rCZZSZTE 


JL 


«;      ''^    GOVERNOR   <  ST.      V    ^x  /         ^  .>-<T'V  ■-        -''■^      X      '        /        x^v  ^-^^, 

^  v!        ,'  STUYVESgiJT        ST.    ^  \  v^  ^vSiv/        7  ^T'^'::  ^    ^      ~ 


/,->^°.  "^x4P^v  ^^-»^]fe>>>..  yp-Nv-'i-fc^, 


-QUICK    /ST. 


.KT>™.    /Ax     x-v' r<x     ' 


>  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY.  ' 

i  OLD  PEAB  TREE.  PLANTED  1617. 

r  PETERSPIELD.  RESIDENCE  of  PETEB  O.  STDVVESANT. 

1  BOWERV  HOLSE.  RESIDENCE  of  NICE.  WM.  STUYVESANT. 

I  BOWEBT  VILLAOE  SCHOOL  BOUSE. 


^<>y'  /  ^v^x 


Map  of  Stuyvesant's  Bouwery. 

woods,  crooking  about  to  avoid  ledges  and  ravines.  The  land  travel  at 
that  period  was  almost  exclusively  on  foot  or  on  horseback ;  few  wagons 
had  as  yet  reached  the  country. 

In  the  mean  time,  a  general  fear  of  the  Indians  took  possession  of  the 
piiblic  mind.  Stuyvesant  had  visited  Esopus  in  the  autumn,  after  the 
dwellings  had  been  collected  into  a  village,  and  tried  to  settle  certain 
claims  with  the  sachems.  Only  a  few  came  to  the  interview.  One  of  their 
number  plead  poverty  in  a  studied  and  cunningly  constructed  piece  of 
oratory,  entirely  avoiding  the  governor's  question  as  to  their  intentions 
in  regard  to  the  surrender  of  a  certain  tract  of  land  in  compensation 
for  tlie  injuries  they  had  committed.  When  brought  back  to  that  point, 
they  went  away,  pretending  that  they  must  consult  the  absent  chiefs. 


IM)I.{\    HOSTILITIES.  lHi» 

As  \\\(\y  (lid  not  icliini,  llit-  ^^'ovciikh  hitt  a  yuard  of  fifty  soldiers  at  the 
post.  A  low  uionllis  laU-r,  a  sad  ciiciiinstaiice  eiira;,'ed  the  sava;,'e.s  far 
and  near.  Thomas  ('lianihcrs  had  acHiuired  an  innneuse  tract  of  laud  in 
tiic  vicinity  of  Esopus,  whiih  hail  been  erected  into  the  manor  of  Fox- 
ii.M.i,.'  Some  seven  or  ei},dit  Indians  in  his  employ  had  been  huskinj,'  and 
slu'Ilin<;  corn  until  late  one  evening,  when  they  ol)taine(l  some  brandy  and 
had  a  drunken  orgie.  Their  liideous  and  unearthly  yells,  breaking  in 
upon  the  midnight  stillness,  startled  the  settlers,  who  reconnoitered  to 
Hnd  out  the  cause.  The  officer  in  connnand  of  the  fort  forbade  his 
soldiers  to  molest  the  poor  wretches  ;  but  some  of  the  imprudent  residents 
proceeded  to  the  spot  where  they  were  lying  iu  a  heap  together  in  the 
bushes,  and  tired  a  volley  of  musketry  among  them.  Several  were 
wounded,  and  a  few  ran  away.  Presently  houses,  barns,  and  corn-stacks 
were  set  on  fire  all  through  the  country,  and  the  Esoi)us  fort  was  l)esieged 
for  three  weeks.  News  came  to  Manhattan  that  several  prisoners  had 
been  taken  by  the  Indians,  and  afterwards  tortured  in  the  most  cruel 
manner  and  burned  at  the  stake.  The  crisis  was  imminent.  Despair 
seemed  to  paralyze  the  fighting  men  of  the  colony.  Stuyvesaut  had  been 
suffering  from  a  severe  illness;  but  he  met  the  situation  gi-andly,  visiting 
all  the  neighboring  villages  in  person  and  using  every  effort  to  stimulate 
the  farmers  to  fortify  and  protect  themselves.  His  energy  was  marvelous, 
and  the  resources  of  his  mind  abundant.  He  was  delayed  several  days 
before  he  could  raise  a  force  suflicient  to  go  to  the  aid  of  sufi'ering 
Esopus;  but  he  succeeded  at  last,  and  took  command  in  person. 
Upon  his  appearance  the  Indians  fled,  and  heavy  rains  prevented  his 
pursuing  them.  He  obtained  the  co-operation  of  the  Mohawks,  and  hav- 
ing concluded  an  armistice  with  the  Esopus  tribe,  shortly  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  few  of  the  prisonei-s  in  exchange  for  powder.  It  was  a  hoUow 
truce,  as  everybody  understood.  Diu'ing  the  entire  winter  after,  the  air 
was  full  of  alarms.  In  the  spring  there  was  fighting  again,  and  the 
Indians  were  driven  back  into  the  country.  They  were  awed  and  leeo. 
made  cautious,  but  not  conquered.  In  July,  however,  through  ^^^^' 
the  influence  of  the  Mohawks  and  other  frientUy  tribes,  they  sued  for 
peace,  and  an  important  treaty  was  concluded. 

Staten  Island  was  a  dreary  waste  for  long  after  the  massacre  of  1650. 
Baron  Van  der  Capellen  sent  out  fresh  colonists,  and  offered  many  induce- 

1  This  grant  was  confirmed,  in  1686,  by  Governor  Dongan,  who  invested  the  manor  with 
jiower  to  hold  Court  Leet  and  Court  Baron,  besides  many  other  temporal  honors.  Chambers 
was  a  man  of  much  dignity  and  influence.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace  at  Esopus,  and  did 
notable  service  in  the  war  with  the  Indians.  He  left  no  descendants  in  the  direct  line  ;  and 
his  name  has  disappeared,  save  from  the  Book  of  Patents. 


190  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

ments  to  encourage  the  settlers  to  return  ;  but  they  were  timid.  Melyn 
removed  to  New  Haven.  Baron  Van  der  Capellen  died,  and  his  heirs 
sold  their  entii'e  interest  to  the  West  India  Company.  In  1661,  some 
French  Huguenots  started  a  village  a  little  to  the  south  of  the  Narrows, 
which  was  fostered  by  the  government  with  fatherly  care.  Dominie 
Drisius  visited  them  every  two  months,  to  preach  in  French  and  to  ad- 
minister the  sacrament. 

A  tract  of  land  near  the  Fresh  Water  Pond,  which  had  hitherto  been 
used  as  a  common  for  the  pasturing  of  cattle,  was  fenced  in  about  this 
time  and  more  especially  devoted  to  the  city  cows.  A  herdsman  was 
employed,  who  went  through  the  streets  every  morning  blowing  a  horn, 
collected  his  drove,  conducted  it  to  the  grassy  fields,  and  brought  it  again 
through  the  city  gates  at  nightfall. 

As  time  wore  on,  the  subject  of  edxication  was  discussed  with  increased 
earnestness.  The  schools  were  imperfect,  and  it  was  difficult  to  remedy 
the  evil.  The  better  class  of  citizens  pressed  for  the  establishment  of  a 
higher  grade  of  schools.  Now  and  then,  some  enterprising  schoolmaster 
opened  a  private  estabhsliment  without  the  consent  of  the  government, 
and  was  immediately  ordered  to  close  it.  Finally,  the  burgomasters  autl 
schepens  wrote  to  the  company,  petitioning  for  a  suitable  master  for  a 
first-class  Latin  School.  They  said  their  sons  had  to  be  sent  to  New 
England  for  classical  instruction.  They  agreed  that  the  city  should  build 
a  school-house,  if  the  company  would  pay  the  teacher's  salary.  The 
company  consented,  and  sent  over  Dr.  Curtius,  a  physician  of  some  note, 
who  could  practice  medicine  when  not  engaged  with  his  pupils.  At  the 
end  of  two  years,  he  resigned  his  position,  on  account  of  ill-health ;  and 
Dominie  .^gidius  Luyck,  who  was  a  private  tutor  in  the  governor's  family, 
was  employed  in  his  stead.  He  soon  had  twenty  pupils,  including  two 
from  Virginia  and  two  from  Albany.  The  public  school  was  continued, 
and  two  private  schools  for  small  children  were  permitted.  One  of  these 
was  taught  by  Jan  Lubbertsen. 

Dominie  Henricus  Selyns^  arrived  in  the  summer  of  1660,  to  take  the 
pastoral  charge  of  the  first  church  in  Breuckelen.     He  was  formally  in- 

1  riior  to  1660,  the  only  mini.stei-s  of  tlie  Eefoiined  Church  in  New  Netherland  were  tlie 
Reverends  Megapolensis  and  Drisius  at  New  Amsterdam,  Schaats  at  Beverwyck  (Albany), 
Polhemus  at  Midwout  (Flatbush),  and  Melius  at  New  Amstel.  The  two  first-named  had 
wi-itten  earnest  letters  to  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam,  describing  the  state  of  religion  in  the 
colony,  and  entreating  that  good  Dutch  clergjTnen  be  speedily  sent  over.  These  letters  were 
forwarded  to  the  College  of  the  XIX.  It  was  difficult  to  persuade  clergymen  to  brave  the 
hardships  of  a  newly  settled  country,  but  Dominie  Selyns  received  and  accepted  a  call  to 
the  Brookljm  church.  Dominie  Blom  came  over  with  him  under  appointment  to  pi-each  at 
Esopus  (now  Kingston). 


OLIVFJI   CHOMWKIJ.'S    DKATII. 


191 


stiilled  on  the  7th  of  S{!i)U;inl)or.  '\\w.  ceremony  wii.s  spcfiiilly  interesting. 
Vice-Ciovernor  l)e  Sille  and  Miirtin  Cregier  were  deputed  from  the 
governor's  council  to  intnuhice  the  minister  to  the  congregation  :  after 
which,  the  call  of  the  Classis  and  their  certihcate  of  exaiiiinalinii,  also  a 
testimonial  from  the  clergymen  of  Amsterdam,  were  read  liy  tlic  (loiiiinic 
himself  to  the  assemhly.  He  then  preached  his  inaiigural  scniion.  Tlie 
church  had  twenty  mendiers,  inclusive  of  one  elder  and  two  deacons. 
15ut  they  had  as  yet  no  church  edifice,  and  the  installation  sei-vices  took 
])lace  in  a  barn. 

The  next  season,  Dominie  Selyns  married  a  young  woman  in  New 
Amsterdam.  She  was  very  gifted  and  beautiful.  Her  portrait  he  has 
handed  down  to  us  in  a  charming  little  birthday  ode.  The  governor, 
finding  that  the  Breuckelen  church  could  not  raise  the  minister's  salary 
without  great  embarra-ssment,  ofl'ered  to  advance  one  hundred  doUai-s 
per  annum  towards  it,  provided  Dominie  Selyns  would  preach  at  his 
farm  on  Sunday  afternoons.  He  built  a  small  chapel  at  his  own  expense 
on  the  site  of  the  ])resent  church  of  St.  Mark ;  and  services  were  held  in 
it  on  the  Sabbath  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

An  event  momentous  in  its  consequences  upon  the  future  of  the  little 
city  whose  fortunes  we  are  following  occurred  in  the  autumn  of  1658.  It 
was  the  death  of  Oliver  Cromwell.  The  reins  of  power  fell  quietly  into 
the  hands  of  his  eldest  son,  Richard.  But  not  for  long.  The  young  man 
Avas  as  weak  as  his  father  was  strong.  Within  a  year,  England  had  dis- 
posed of  him,  and  was  in  imminent  danger  of  sinking  under  the  tyranny 
of  a  succession  of  small  men  raised  up  and  pulled  down  by  military  ca- 
price. General  was  opposed  to  general,  and  army  to  army.  Finally,  there 
was  one  grand  union  of  sects  and  parties  for  the  old  laws  of  the  nation 
against  military  despotism,  and  thus  the  way  was  paved  for  the  return  of 
Charles  II.  to  the  throne  of  his  ancestors. 


Msdal  of  Oliver  Cromwell. 


192  HISTORY  OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

1660  - 1664. 
THE  RESTORATION. 

The  Restoration.  —  Charles  II.  —  The  Coxneutk  l-  i  L'hartek.  —Sir  George  Downing. 

—  George  Baxter  and  John  Scott.  —  Progress  of  the  City. — The  Antiquarian 
Map.  —  The  Quakers.  —  Destruction  of  Esopus.  —  The  Indian  War  of  1663.  — 
Governor  Stuyvesant  in  Boston. — Thomas  Benedict. — The  Embassy  to  Con- 
necticut. —  Startling  Condition  of  Affairs.  — John  Scott.  —  Hon.  Jeremias  Van 
Rensselaer. — The  Convention  of  1664. — Mrs.  Dr.  Kier.stede. — Planning  of 
Charles  II.  and  his  Ministers.  — An  Unfriendly  Expedition.  — New  Amsterdam 
in  Danger.  —  Preparations  for  a  Siege.  —  Winthrop's  Interview  with  Stuyve- 
sant. —  The  Letter.  —  The  approaching  Storm.  —  The  Crisis.  — The  Surrender. 

—  New  York.  —  Consequences  of  the  Conque.st.  —  Stuyvesant  at  the  Hague.  — 
The  Stuyvesant  Pear-Tree.  —  The  Stuyvksant  Family. 

ON  the  8th  of  May,  1660,  Charles  II.  set  out  on  liis  triumphal  journey 
from  Breda  to  London.  He  was  magnificently  entertained  at  the 
Hague,  and  parted  with  the  States-General  and  other  officers  of  the 
Dutch  government  with  the   most   prcjfuse  pledges  of  friendship.     On 

1660.  the  29th  of  May,  he  entered  England,  welcomed  and  escorted  by 
^^y  '^-  triumphal  processions.  A  spirit  of  extravagant  joy  seemed  to  per- 
vade the  whole  nation.  London  was  in  raptures.  He  remarked  dryly, 
"  that  he  could  not  see  for  the  life  of  him  why  he  had  stayed  away  so 
long,  when  everybody  was  so  charmed  with  him  now  that  he  was  at 
length  come  back." 

For  a  time,  he  was  more  loved  by  the  English  pe()i)le  than  any  of  his 
predecessors  had  been.  The  calamities  of  his  house  and  his  own  roman- 
tic adventures  rendered  him  an  object  of  tender  interest  to  all  classes. 
His  return  had  delivered  them  from  what  had  become  an  intolerable 
bondage.  Entertainments  were  the  order  of  the  day.  Presently  drunk- 
enness overran  the  kingdom  and  corrupted  the  morals  of  the  i)eople ; 
and,  through  pretenses  of  religion  and  profane  mockeries  of  true  piety, 
grave  disorders  prevailed. 

The  king  was  a  young  man  (then  about  thirty  years  of  age),  of  pleas- 


(' II aiu.es  II.  193 

inj;  address  und  elc{i;ant  iiiaiiiK  is.  He  was  cliticrful  in  disjjosition,  fond 
of  wit  and  liinuor,  and  a  ^^wwi  talkci.  Ih;  understood  alliiirs,  and  was 
lainiliar  with  matters  ol'  <,'overnnieiit  and  religion.  He  was  a  good 
niatlu'inatician ;  his  apprehension  was  (juick,  and  his  memory  excellent, 
lint  lie  was  insincere,  had  an  ill  opinion  of  mankind,  detested  busi- 
ness, and  seemed  to  think  the  main  object  of  life  was  to  get  all  the 
pleasnre  possible  out  of  every  hour  of  the  twenty-four.  Like  his  father, 
he  inarrieil  a  Catliolic  queen.  His  marriage  festivities  with  Catharine  of 
Bniganza,  ol'  Portugal,  were  brilliantly  celebrated  at  Hampton  Court  on 
the  anniversary  of  his  birth  and  restoration,  May  29,  1G62.  But  not 
like  his  father  did  he  love  his  Catholic  queen ;  on  the  contrary,  he 
neglected  and  wounded  her,  and  rendered  her  life  one  of  abject  misery. 

The  Convention  Parliament  which  called  him  home  revised  the  Navi- 
gation Act  of  1G51,  and  made  it  more  obnoxious  to  the  Dutch  than  ever. 
Presently,  Lord  Baltimore,  through  an  agent  at  the  Hague,  ordered 
the  West  India  Conqiany  to  surrender  the  lauds  on  the  south  side  "  ^ 
of  Delaware  Bay.  The  directors  were  confounded.  They  promptly 
declined  to  yield  territory  which  they  held  under  grant  from  the  States- 
General,  and  appealed  to  the  latter  for  protection.  A  demand  that  Lord 
Baltimore  should  be  ordered  to  desist  from  his  pretensions  until  the 
bounilaries  were  properly  established,  and  that  the  territory  to  the  east 
of  the  Hudson  IJiver  which  the  English  had  usurped  should  be  restored 
and  the  inhabitants  thereof  required  to  conduct  themselves  as  Dutch 
subjects,  was  at  once  forwarded  to  the  Dutch  minister  at  Whitehall,  with 
directions  to  seize  the  first  opportunity  to  lay  it  before  the  king. 

American  affairs  were  confided  to  the  new  "  Council  of  Foreign  Plan- 
tations," of  w^hich  Clarendon  was  the  head.  Charles  declined  to  trouble 
his  mind  with  them.  He  laughed  at  Lord  Baltimore  and  the  Earl  of 
Stirling  when  they  argued  their  claims,  and  said  "  the  subject  was  too 
heavy  for  a  crowned  head."  He  hoped  he  should  be  "  spared  the  stupid 
task  of  looking  after  a  batch  of  restless  Western  adventurers."  But  he 
was  reminded  of  the  prospective  treaty  of  commerce  and  alliance  w-ith  the 
Dutch  nation,  and  of  the  necessity  of  settling  the  Delaware  Bay  contro- 
versy, and  requiring  the  Dutch  on  Long  Island  to  submit  to  English 
authority.  He  promised  to  give  his  attention  at  some  more  convenient 
season  in  the  future.  Meanwhile,  John  De  Witt,  the  grand  pensionary 
and  real  chief  magistrate  of  the  Netherlands,  grew  weary  of  the  procras- 
tination which  prefaced  the  execution  of  the  treaty,  and  instructed  his 
minister  to  bring  the  matter  to  a  close  or  to  leave  London.  The  document 
was  accordingly  signed,  at  Whitehall,  September  14,  1662.  At  that  very 
moment  the  "  Council  for  Foreign  Plantations  "  was  maturing  an  order 

13 


L 


194  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

for  the  Virginia  governor  to  cause  the  Navigation  Act  to  be  carefully  ob- 
served, notwithstanding  the  well-known  intercolonial  treaty  which 
Stuyvesant  had  negotiated  with  Berkeley,  and  which  had  given 
great  satisfaction  to  both  provinces.  A  royal  charter  was  issued,  invest- 
ing Connecticut  with  jurisdiction  over  the  territory  "  bounded  east  by 
Narraganset  Bay,  north  by  the  Massachusetts  line,  south  by  the  sea,  and 
west  by  the  Pacific  Ocean,  including  all  the  islands  thereunto  adjoining." 

This  remarkable  charter,  under  which  Connecticut  thrived  until  1818, 
and  which  was  as  liberal  in  its  character  as  any  since  granted  by 

^  '  our  republican  government,  guaranteeing  every  privilege  which 
freemen  could  desire,  passed  the  great  seal  in  April.  It  was  obtained  by 
John  Winthrop  the  younger.  This  gentleman  was  an  elegant  and 
accomplished  courtier,  and  an  intimate  personal  friend  of  Lord  Say,  Lord 
Seal,  the  Earl  of  Manchester,  and  others  of  the  royal  household.  He 
was  the  founder  of  New  London,  and  the  owner  of  Fisher's  Island, 
where  his  family  resided  for  some  years  in  a  mansion  erected  by  himself. 
He  was  actively  interested  in  all  the  concerns  of  the  Connecticut 
Colony,  and  drafted  the  charter  with  his  own  pen,  making  the  voyage 
to  Europe  in  order  to  secure  for  it  the  sanction  of  the  king.  He  wore 
into  the  royal  presence  an  extraordinary  ring  which  had  been  given  to 
his  grandmother  by  Charles  I.  This  he  took  from  his  finger  and  pre- 
sented to  Charles  XL,  who  was  greatly  pleased,  and  tenderly  regarded  the 
treasure  which  had  once  belonged  to  a  father  niost  dear  to  him.  The 
opportune  moment  was  seized  for  presenting  the  petition  from  Connecti- 
cut, "  which  was  received  with  uncommon  grace  and  favor  "  ;  and  Win- 
throp returned  in  triumph  to  America. 

When  Stuyvesant  heard  of  this  transaction,  he  declared,  that,  "  it  was 
an  absolute  breach  and  nullification  of  the  boundary  treaty  of  1650,  and 
that  it  would  justify  the  States-General  and  West  India  Company  in  for- 
cibly recovering  aU  their  ancient  rights,  which  he  had  siirrendered  for  the 
sake  of  peace."  He  wrote  sharply  to  Winthrop,  who  retorted  in  the  same 
spirit.  The  latter  proceeded  to  notify  the  people  of  Westchester  and 
Long  Island  to  send  delegates  to  the  General  Court  of  Connecticut.  Stuy- 
vesant appealed  to  his  government  for  instructions. 

Sir  George  Downing,  Winthrop's  cousin,  was  the  English  minister  at 
the  Hague.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest,  ablest,  and  most  unprincipled 
graduates  (in  1642)  of  Harvard  College  in  Massachusetts.  Subsequently, 
he  was  Cromwell's  minister  to  the  Dutch  Republic,  where  he  openly 
insulted  liis  exiled  king ;  but,  through  consummate  tact  and  management, 
he  obtained  forgiveness,  and  was  taken  into  favor,  at  the  Restoration. 
His  American  life  rendered  him  familiar  with  the  whole  series  of  colo- 


Sfl{    (lEORCE    DOW  SI  NO.  11)5 

iiiiil  (luiincls.  He  knew  every  weak  iioiiiL  in  the  Dutch  title  to  N(!W 
Nctlicrlaiul.  lie  had  no  scruples  of  liounr,  was  an  ardent  hater  of  the 
Dutch,  and  lonj^jed  lor  a  war  whicli  niii^ht  agj^randize  the  new  king  and 
his  satellites,  lie  jtlayed  a  douliic  part  on  all  occlusions.  Once,  after 
dining  with  De  Witt,  and  promising  with  eniphiisis  to  use  his  best  en- 
deavor for  the  righting  of  the  wrong  of  the  "  Connecticut  encroachments," 
he  went  to  his  own  ajjartments  and  .sent  the  following  ])rivate  advice  to 
( 'larendon  :  "  Wait  three  or  i'our  months,  and  then  answer  that  the  king 
will  write  into  those  parts  to  be  informed  of  the  truth  of  the  matter  of 
fact  and  right  on  both  sides."  He  adroitly  gathered  such  information  alH)ut 
Dutch  affairs  as  be  could  turn  to  English  advantage,  and  all  liis  letters  to 
the  lords  in  })ower  were  seasoned  with  subtle  arguments  in  favor  of  the 
uudoubtetl  right  of  England  to  the  whole  of  New  Netherland,  which  he 
atlirmed  to  be  "  the  most  admirably  situated  region  in  North  America."^ 

New  England  never  took  kindly  to  the  Restoration.  Charles  was  ac- 
knowledged with  reluctance  and  grim  austerity.  The  fear  that  he  would 
install  bishops  in  the  colonies  induced  the  Puritans  to  crowd  petition 
after  petition  upon  the  notice  of  the  indolent  monarch,  and  the  Church 
})arty  were  qiiite  as  voluminous  in  their  complaints  of  the  arrogant  and 
domineering  Pm-itans.  Samuel  Maverick  appeared  before  the  king,  to 
claim  redress  for  many  grievances  which  he  had  suffered  in  Massachusetts. 
He  was  a  zealous  Episcopalian.  He  was  accompanied  by  George  Baxter 
and  John  Scott,  from  Long  Island,  who  were  smarting  from  the  lash  of 
Governor  Stuyvesant.  The  latter  were  both  extensive  landholders  ;  indeed, 
Scott  claimed  to  have  purchased  nearly  one  third  of  the  island.  He  had 
formerly  been  an  officer  in  the  army  of  Charles  I.,  but  for  some  political 
misdemeanor  had  been  banished  to  New  England.  He  was  a  brilliant 
logician,  and  the  object  of  his  appeal  was  to  obtain  a  royal  grant  for  the 
government  of  Long  Island.  The  claim  of  Lord  Stirling,  however,  was  in 
the  way.  As  for  New  Netherland,  a  statement  was  drawn  up  by  Scott 
and  Baxter,  assisted  by  IMaverick,  to  prove  the  king's  title  to  it ;  and  it 
was  emphatically  asserted,  that,  "  the  Navigation  Act  could  never  be  en- 
forced in  America  while  that  rich  territory  existed  as  a  Dutch  plantation." 

While  Charles  and  his  ministers  listened  with  newly  awakened  inter- 
est, and  revolved  various  plans  by  which  New  Netherland  might  be 
seized  without  an  open  rupture  (for  Charles  disliked  as  much  as  some  of 

1  Col.  Doc,  II.  224-229,  302-507  ;  III.  47,  48.  Aitzema,  V.  64,  65.  LMer's  Claren- 
don, lU.  276-279.  Ogilbys  America,  \69.  Brodhc.ad,  U.  \2-2Q.  Burnet's  Hutorrj  of 
the  Reign  of  Charles  II.,  136,  137.  Sir  Oeorge  Downing  was  the  son  of  Emanuel  Down- 
ing, the  brother-in-law  of  Governor  .Tolin  Winthrop.  He  was  bom  in  London,  and  accom- 
pajiied  his  parents  to  America  at  the  age  of  thirteen. 


196  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

his  lords  desired  hostilities),  the  West  India  Company  and  the  States- 
General  were  mildly  protesting  against  the  "  unpardonable  usurpations," 
and  asking  the  king  to  issue  orders  "  for  the  immediate  restoration  of  the 
towns  and  places  in  their  American  province  which  had  been  invaded  by 
his  subjects."  At  the  same  time,  Stuyvesant,  upon  this  side  of  the  water, 
was  working  manfully  to  sustain  his  authority  and  promote  the  interests 
of  his  employers. 

During  the  year  1661,  the  governor,  as  a  sort  of  peace-offering,  granted 
village  charters  to  five  Long  Island  towns.  Among  them  was  New 
Utrecht,  founded  by  Jacques  Cortelyou,  who  managed  the  estate  of  the 
deceased  Mr.  Werckhoven,  for  the  heirs.  This  property,  which  embraced 
the  land  along  the  bay,  from  Gowanus  to  Coney  Island,  and  wliich  cost 
originally  six  coats,  six  kettles,  six  axes,  six  chisels,  six  small  looking- 
glasses,  twelve  knives,  and  twelve  combs,  had  been  improved  by  Werck- 
hoven until  it  offered  special  attractions,  and  the  settlement  had  increased 
more  rapidly  than  many  others. 

Between  the  years  1660-1664,  the  city  of  New  Amsterdam  grew  in  a 
ratio  greatly  exceeding  that  of  any  previous  period.  Business  of  all  kinds 
was  brisk.  New  settlers  came  and  the  old  ones  remained.  New  houses 
were  built  and  manufactories  established.  Several  breweries  and  brick 
kilns  were  in  successful  operation.  The  potteries  of  Long  Island  began 
to  be  esteemed  equal  to  those  of  Delft.  La^vyers  were  finding  this 
lucrative  field,  and  among  the  most  prominent  of  these  was  Solomon  La 
Chair."  There  has  recently  been  exhumed,  in  the  county  clerk's  office  of 
the  City  Hall,  a  written  volume  of  some  three  hundred  pages,  which  is  a 
careful  minute  of  La  Chair's  legal  proceedings,  and  a  curious  relic  of  that 
early  period.  He  was  a  good  English,  as  well  as  French  and  Dutch, 
scholar,  and  often  acted  as  interpreter  before  the  courts.  He  had  at  com- 
mand a  large  law  library,  as  evidenced  by  the  numerous  quotations  in  his 
written  arguments.  The  magistrates  of  Gravesend  employed  him,  in 
opposition  to  Mr.  Opdyck,  to  prosecute  their  claim  to  Coney  Island. 

The  accompanying  map  is  the  only  plan  of  the  city  during  the  Dutch 
era  which  is  known  to  exist.  It  is  presumed  that  the  English  officers 
found  it  after  the  capture,  and  gave  to  it  its  present  shape,  adding  the 
date,  1664.  It  fell  into  the  British  Museum,  where  it  remained  in 
obscurity  until  a  few  j'-ears  since,  when  it  was  rescued  by  George  H. 
Moore,  the  librarian  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society.  The  outlines 
of  the  streets,  though  apparently  drawm  without  measurement,  seem  to 
follow  the  proper  directions,  and  the  general  character  of  the  buildings 
is  given  without  any  special  attempt  at  accuracy.  But  the  map  itself  is 
a  curious  memorial,  worthy  of  tender  preservation. 


•■■■    ^  3  ►J  -^      ^ 

~^.  '>  In  55  ?• 


i^n 


77/ A'   (^lAKERS.  Hi*) 

About  the  time  it  was  issutul  (ItKil),  a  trcsli  clloit  wiis  iiukU;  to  assure 
(Uscoutcntcd  I'uiitans  and  olliur  Kn;4;lislinit'n  that  llicy  would  l)c  widcouied 
and  cliciislnMl  l)y  the  Dutcli  in  Xi'w  Xetlierland.  The  States-deiieral 
(•aused  a  prochuuation  of  "conditions  and  j  )rivi  leges "  to  lu;  scattered 
througli  the  liritish  kingdoni.^  appiuided  to  which  was  a  glowing  descrij)- 
tion  of  the  country  "only  six  weeks'  sail  tVoni  HoUaud, .  .  .  land  fertile,... 
climate  the  best  iu  the  world ; . . .  seed  may  l)e  connnitted  to  the  soil 
without  preparation,  .  .  .  timber  and  wikl  fruit  of  all  descriptious,  fui-s, 
game,  fisheries,"  etc.,  etc.  The  picture  was  attractive.  It  enlisted  atten- 
tion iu  various  ([uarters.  Among  the  first  who  came  to  look  at  the 
country,  with  a  view  to  investment  and  permanent  settlement,  was  Hou. 
Ikobert  Treat  and  Hon.  Benjamin  Fenn,  as  delegates  from  New  HaveiL 
That  little  republic  was  in  high  dudgeon  at  the  prospect  of  annexation  to 
Connecticut,  aud  seriously  contemplated  flying  from  her  impending  fate. 
Stuyvesant  courteously  eutertaiueil  the  gentlemen  at  his  own  house,  aud 
took  them  in  his  barge  to  the  shores  of  New^ark  Bay,  where  they  spent 
some  time  in  exploration,  and  finally  negotiated  terms  by  which  the 
colony  might  remove  bodily  to  that  desirable  locality.  Events  followed 
"rapidly,  however,  which  induced  New  Haven  to  throw  herself  into  the 
arms  of  Connecticut  for  protection. 

The  invitati(jn  to  "  persons  of  tender  conscience  "  to  come  freely  into 
New  Netherland,  by  no  means  referred  to  the  Quakers.  These  were  still 
heartlessly  persecuted.  A  Quaker  divine  having  stopped  on  Long  Island, 
at  the  residence  of  Henry  Townsend,  the  fact  was  soon  known  among  the 
neighbors.  The  report  reached  Stuyvesant  that  a  "  conventicle  "  had 
actually  been  held  in  Mr.  Townsend's  i)arloi'.  Presently,  soldiers  ai>})eared 
and  arrested  Mr.  To^voisend  and  all  who  attended  the  meeting,  and  a 
strong  guard  was  placed  over  the  infected  district.  (Quaker  meetings 
were  held  secretly  in  Flushing,  the  headquarters  of  the  sect  being  at  the 
house  of  John  Bowne,  who  was  accused  and  arrested,  and,  for  refusal  to 
pay  his  fine,  shipped  to  Holland,  as  a  terror  to  evil-doers.  John  Tilton 
and  his  wife  Goodie  Tilton,  of  Gravesend,  persisted  in  their  heresies^ 
and  were  peremptorily  ordered  to  quit  the  province.  These  rigorous 
measures  were  followed  by  a  proclamation  from  the  governor,  forbidding 
the  exercise  of  any  but  the  Reformed  religion  "  in  houses,  barns,  ships, 
yachts,  woods,  or  fields,"  under  hea\y  penalties.  The  Amsterdam  Cham- 
ber wrote  to  Stuyvesant  shortly  after,  that,  although  it  was  their  prefer- 
ence that  "  sectarians  "  should  not  be  found  in  the  province,  yet  it  was 
not  well  to  check  population.  "  You  had  better  let  every  one  remain 
free,"  they  said,  "  as  long  as  he  is  modest,  moderate,  his  political  conduct 

1  O'Cal/aghan,  II.  443-452. 


200  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

irreproachable,  and  he  does  nut  offend  others  or  oppose  the  govern- 
ment." 

Indian  disturbances  at  the  North  kept  Stuyvesant  abnost  constantly  on 
the  wing,  passing  to  and  from  Albany.  In  1662,  he  met  delegates  from 
New  England  at  Fort  Orange,  and  an  "  accommodation  "  was  effected  with 
the  Mohawks  and  Oneidas  by  which  they  liberated  a  few  French  and 
English  captives.  But  Canada  was  threatened,  and  the  danger  was  only 
stayed,  not  averted. 

In  1663,  a  severe  shock  of  earthquake  was  felt  in  New  Amsterdam,  all 
along  the  Hudson  River,  in  Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  Acadia, 
and  Canada.  It  was  followed  by  a  teiTible  freshet,  which  de- 
stoyed  the  harvests  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Orange,  and  inundated 
many  other  portions  of  the  country.  Upon  the  heels  of  this  calamity, 
the  small-pox  made  its  appearance  and  spread  with  fearful  rapidity.^ 
The  good  Puritans  of  New  England  declared,  that,  "  the  hand  of  God 
had  gone  out  against  the  people  of  New  Netherland  by  pestilential  infec- 
tions." 

In  the  midst  of  the  panic  in  New  Amsterdam,  news  came  which 
caused  the  cheek  to  blanch  and  the  blood  to  stand  still.  A  horri- 
■  ble  massacre  had  occurred  at  Esopus.  On  the  morning  of  June  7, 
just  after  the  men  had  gone  to  their  work  in  the  fields,  a  large  number  of 
Indians  sauntered  carelessly  into  the  village  and  tried  to  sell  some  beans. 
Fifteen  minutes  later,  a  horseman  rode  at  full  speed  down  the  road, 
shouting  that  the  Indians  were  setting  fire  to  the  houses.  Instantly  the 
war-whoop  was  raised,  shots  were  heard  in  every  direction,  and  battle- 
axes  and  tomahawks  flashed  in  the  sunlight.  Women  and  children  were 
butchered  in  the  most  shocking  manner.  Many  were  left  wounded  and 
dying,  and  forty-five  were  carried  into  captivity.  The  men  rallied  with 
desperate  energy,  and,  though  poorly  armed,  succeeded  eventually  in 
driving  the  savages  into  the  woods.  But  what  a  sight  was  there  !  Twelve 
houses  in  the  old,  and  every  house  in  the  new,  village  were  mere  heaps 
of  smouldering  rubbish ;  husbands  were  standing  over  murdered  wives ; 
and  fathers  were  trying  to  identify  the  bodies  of  children  who  had  been 
burned  alive. 

Stuyvesant,  having  hastily  called  for  volunteers,  sent  to  the  relief  of 
the  sufferers  an  armed  force,  commanded  by  Martin  Cregier  and  Pieter 
Van  Couwenhoven.  They  pursued  the  savages  for  a  long  distance 
through  the  wilderness,  finding  a  guide  in  the  person  of  Mrs.  Dr.  Van 
Imbroeck,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  La  Montague,  who  had  been  one  of  the 
captives  on  the  day  of  the  massacre,  but  who  had  escaped  from  her 

1  About  one  thousiind  Indians  died  of  snudl-pox,  among  the  Mohawks  alone. 


I 


77/ A'    INDIAN    WAIi    OF   lUdS.  201 

(•a|il()rs  1111(1  succeeded  in  (iuding  her  way  back  to  the  settlement.  She 
conducted  ihe  i»iiiLy  to  the  Indian  castle  where  she  last  saw  the  wamoi-s ; 
but  it  was  vaciiiit.  Alter  usin^  it  as  a  shelter  IVoni  a  heavy  rain-storm, 
the  pursuers  went  on,  throuffh  dense  forests,  over  high  hills,  and  across 
deep  rivei-s,  until  they  overtook  the  Hying  foe,  and  engaged  theni  in  a 
severe  battle  which  resulted  in  the  recovery  of  twenty-three  prisonei-s. 
But  the  war  did  not  end  here.  Other  expeditions  were  planned  and 
executed,  and  ancient  treaties  were  renewed  with  the  neighboring  tribes. 
Still  there  was  no  peace.  Out-settlers  hurried  to  the  forts  and  held 
regular  watch,  day  and  night ;  and  parties  of  soldiers  scoured  the  woods 
all  along  the  Hudson  fronr  lieusselaerswick  to  Manhattan.  "  Nothing  is 
talkcnl  of,"  said  Jeremias  Van  liensselaer,  in  one  of  his  letters,  "but  the 
Indians  and  the  war."  Late  in  the  autimin,  an  "armistice"  was 
agreed  upon  by  the  Esopus  tribes,  and  all  except  three  of  the 
prisoners  were  restored  to  their  friends. 

Lord  Baltimore,  in  the  mean  time,  had  resorted  to  various  methods  to 
obtfiiu  control  of  the  South  River  territory.  His  son,  Charles  Calvert, 
came  over  and  visited  the  region,  with  a  suite  of  twenty-seven  persons, 
and  was  entertained,  during  his  stay  on  the  South  River,  by  William 
Beekman,  who  was  governor  of  the  Dutch  colony.  The  latter  tried  to 
discuss  the  matter  of  boundaries,  but  the  young  nobleman  maintained  an 
attitude  of  non-committal,  and  to  all  arguments  replied  that  he  would 
communicate  with  Lord  Baltimore.  At  last,  a  transfer  was  made 
by  the  West  India  Company  of  all  their  interests  on  the  South 
River  to  the  city  of  Amsterdam.  De  Hinoyossa  was  appointed  governor 
by  the  burgomasters  and  schepens  ;  and  he  soon  arrived,  accompanied  by 
one  hundred  colonists.  Beekman  was  made  sheriff'  at  Esopus,  in  which 
office  he  continued  until  the  close  of  Lovelace's  administration,  when  he 
returned  to  New  York. 

The  West  India  Company  was  at  this  time  laboring  under  great  pecu- 
niary depression.  Its  outlay  for  the  province  of  New  Netherland,  over 
and  above  its  receipts,  exceeded  ten  tons  of  gold ;  and  the  province  itself 
was  threatened,  from  the  North  and  the  South,  by  a  foreign  power.  Seeing 
no  hope  of  obtaining  in  Europe  a  settlement  of  the  limits  between  New 
Netherland  and  New  England,  the  directors  wrote  to  Stuyvesant,  to  see 
what  arrangement  he  could  effect  in  America.    He  accordingly  made  „ 

'^  '^  -^  Sept.  6. 

a  journey  to  Boston,  to  meet  the  conunissioners  who  had  agreed  to 
the  treaty  of  1650.     He  asked  them  if  they  considered  the  agreement  still 
in  force.    They  were  evasive.    They  talked  about  the  king's  rights  and  the 
Connecticut  charter.     They  suggested  that  the  whole  controversy  should 
undergo  a  hearing  the  next  year,  after  advices  had  been  received  from 


f 


202  HISTORY  OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

England.  The  Connecticut  delegates  were  triumphant,  having  obtained 
delay.  Winthrop  was  able  to  predict  with  tolerable  accuracy  the  final 
action  of  the  English  government,  while  Stuyvesant  was  perplexed  by 
the  extraordinary  events  which  were  taking  place  about  him.  He  pro- 
posed a  continuation  of  trade,  and  an  alliance  offensive  and  defensive 
against  the  savages,  which  was  submitted  to  the  General  Courts 
*^ '  'of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  He  returned  to  New  Am- 
sterdam, much  chagrined  at  the  meager  result  of  his  mission.  On  his 
arrival,  he  found  Long  Island  in  a  great  ferment.  The  messenger  who 
had  attempted  to  read  to  the  people  of  Gravesend  an  announcement  that 
"  they  were  no  longer  under  the  Dutch  government,  but  under  that  of 
Connecticut,"  had  been  arrested  and  conveyed  to  the  city.  The  next 
night,  the  sheriff's  house  had  been  ransacked  by  a  mob  of  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  men ;  he  had  escaped  in  the  darkness  to  the  house  of  his 
son-in-law  and  from  there  to  New  Amsterdam,  where  he  had  been 
'  commended  for  his  prompt  action  by  the  administration. 

Three  days  later.  Sergeant  Hubbard  was  busy  getting  signatures 
^^ "    '  to  a  petition  to  the  General  Court  at  Hartford,  in  which,  after  a 
setting  forth  of  the  inconveniences  "  that  doe  much  trouble  us,"  is  the 
following  passage  : 

"  As  we  ar  alruddy  according  to  our  best  information  under  the  scurts 
of  your  patten,  so  you  would  be  pleased  to  cast  over  us  the  scurts  of  your 
government  and  protecktion." 

This  was  signed  by  Robert  Coe,  John  Strickland,  Zachariah  Walker, 
Thomas  Benedict,  Thomas  Benedict,  Jr.,  and  twenty-one  others.^  Thomas 
Benedict^  was  one  of  the  bearers  of  the  document  to  Hartford.  He  was 
well  known  and  highly  esteemed  by  Winthrop  and  his  council ;  indeed, 
he  was  considered  the  main  support  of  the  cause  of  Connecticut  on  Long 

1  Towns  and  Lands,  I.  18,  in  the  Secretary  of  State's  office,  Hartford.  O'Callaghan,  II. 
486.     Benedict  Genealogy,  9 -V2. 

■2  Thomas  Benedict  was  from  Nottinghamshire,  England.  He  came  to  New  England  in 
1638,  when  only  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  married  a  young  Englishwoman  who  came  over 
in  the  same  vessel  with  him.  He  soon  sought  the  smiling  regions  of  Long  Island,  and  took 
up  his  abode  at  Jamaica.  He  became  a  man  of  distinction  among  the  men  of  the  period.  He 
was  a  magistrate,  the  officer  of  a  little  train  band  in  the  neighborhood,  a  pillar  in  the  churcli, 
the  arbitrator  of  diflferences  between  the  settlers  and  the  Indians,  one  of  the  legislative  body  to 
create  and  codify  the  system  of  law  on  Long  Island  after  its  conquest  from  the  Dutch,  and, 
subsequently,  a  member  of  the  Colonial  Assembly.  He  removed  to  Norwalk,  Connecticut, 
in  1665,  and  took  an  active  and  prominent  part  in  the  affiiirs  of  that  ancient  town.  He  died 
at  the  latter  place  in  1689.  He  was  the  ancestor  of  a  large  and  influential  family,  about 
whom,  in  every  generation  since,  all  sorts  of  offices  in  church  and  state  have  clustered,  and 
have  been  honorably  and  usefully  filled.  Among  the  eminent  representatives  of  tlie  taniily 
in  New  York,  at  the  present  day,  is  the  Hon.  Erastus  C.  Benedict. 


THE    STORY    OF    THE    GREAT    METROPOLIS 


HE  HlSJOF^YOpTHE  CiTY  0|=NeW  YoF^K, 


By  Mrs.  MARTHA  J.  LAMB. 


This  work  has  been  long  anticipated  with  much  interest.  Its  preparation  has  occupied  a  period  of  over  ten  years. 
In  scope  it  is  a  complete  literary  picture  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  our  great  American  metropolis.  It  is  commended 
by  scholars  to  all  classes  of  readers  as  "a  piece  of  choice  tapestry  that  will  hold  its  color  and  retain  its  intrinsic  worth 
amid  the  living  literature  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  many  of  the  popular  books  of  to-day  shall  long  ago  have  been 
dead." 

The  well-known  reputation  of  Mrs.  LAMB  for  accuracy  in  historical  detail,  as  well  as  literary  skill  in  weaving 
together  and  condensing  facts,  added  to  fine  perceptions  and  a  graceful  and  felicitous  charm  of  expression  giving  vitality 
and  sparkle  to  every  pictured  thought,  is  a  guarantee  that  this  valuable  work  will  be  even  more  than  it  promises,  and 
it  cannot  lail  to  take  deservedly  high  rank  among  standard  authorities. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  volume  Mrs.  LAMB  sketches,  in  outline,  the  condition  of  the  Old  World  prior  to  the 
settlement  of  the  New,  and  then  proceeds  to  give  a  careful  analysis  of  the  two  great  Commercial  Corporations  which  made 
such  a  noise  all  over  Christendom  about  that  time,  and  to  which  New  York  owes  its  origin.  Her  gifted  pen  removes  much 
of  the  dimness  and  dullness  with  which  the  early  settlement  on  Manhattan  Island  has  hitherto  been  obscured ;  and 
the  narrative  widens  in  interest  as  the  little  colony  advances.  Indian  wars,  the  birth  of  the  city,  its  various  rulers,  its 
subjugation  by  the  English,  its  after  vicissitudes,  the  Revolution  of  i68g — with  its  causes  and  effects — political  disturb- 
ances and  the  continuous  chain  of  events  which  culminated  in  the  American  Revolution,  are  all  deftly  woven  into  a 
connected  story  as  fresh  and  readable  as  a  work  of  fiction.  From  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  in  1776,  the  author 
gathers  up  the  threads,  and  gives  an  accurate,  artistic,  and  comprehensive  account  of  the  City,  in  its  successive  phases 
of  development  during  the  century,  to  its  present  prominence  at  the  time  of  the  celebration  of  the  first  national  birth- 
day.    Prominent  persons  are  introduced  in  all  the  decades,  with  choice  bits  of  family  history  and  glimpses  of  social  life. 

Mrs.  lamb  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  to  whose  unrivalled  archives  she  has  had  unre- 
strained access.  Many  of  the  old  families  of  the  City  have  freely  furnished  information  specially  interesting  to  the 
present  generation,  since  it  throws  into  the  New  History  the  charms  of  revelation.  The  book  will  contain  maps  of  the 
City  in  the  different  periods,  and  several  rare  portraits  from  original  paintings  which  have  never  before  been  engraved. 
The  illustrations  are  by  leading  artists  and  are  all  of  an  interesting  character. 


I 


Notice     to      Subscribe  i^s  . 

Every  Subscriber  to  The  History  of  New  York  City  is  expected  to  take  the  whole  number  of  "  Parts  "  to 
complete  the  work.  Subscribers  changing  their  residence  should  immediately  notify  the  Publishers,  or  their  Agent 
who  received  the  order,  and  give  NEW  ADDRESS  IN  FULL.  Payment  for  the  Parts  should  only  be  made  on 
delivery,  NEVER  IN  ADVANCE. 

A  strict  observance  of  these  suggestions  will  save  Subscribers  annoyance  and  loss,  and  enable  the  Publishers 
to  fill  their  orders  in  a  prompt  and  advantageous  manner. 

A.  S.  BARNES  &  CO.,  Publishers,  111  and  113  V/illiam  St.,  N.  Y. 

GENERAL     AGENCIES: 
CHICAGO,   BOSTON,   PHILADELPHIA,  WASHINGTON,    AND   NEW   ORLEANS. 


PART   5.J 


[Price  50  cuuts. 


I 


NETW  VORFL  and  CHIC^^GO 

Copyright,  1876,  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co. 


Ex  ICtbrtH 


SEYMOUR    DURST 


-I '  'Tort  nUwv    ^im/ferjam.  o£  Je  Minhafans 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  ihis  book 

Because  it  has  been  said 
"Ever  thing  comes  ('  him  who  wails 

Except  a  loaned  book." 


I 


77/ A'    KMIiASSY    TO    CONNECTICUT.  203 

Isliiiul.      1I((    iu<^c(l    llu!   iidoplion  of  inciisuics   for  LIk;   nnluctioii  of    llio 
Dutch  towns. 

Stuyvesunt  sent  coiuniissionerfl  at  once  to  Connecticut,  to  enter,  if 
possible,  into  .some  boundary  aecouunodation.  Tlie  ^^entleinen  chosen  for 
this  mission  were  Secretary  Van  Ruyven,  Burgomaster  Oloff  S.  Van 
Cortlandt,  and  Jolm  Lawrence.  Money  was  wanted.  Indeed,  the  press- 
ing necessities  of  the  government  induced  the  governor  to  draw  upon 
the  company  for  four  thousand  guilders ;  but  no  one  could  l)e  found  will- 
ing to  cash  the  draft  until  he  pledged  four  of  the  brass  guns  of  tlie  fort 
as  security.  The  connnissionei's  went  in  a  small  vessel  to  MilfoYd, 
and  thence  on  horseback  to  Hartford.  They  called  upon  Win- 
throp,  who  was  polite,  but  not  counnuuicative.  They  made  known  their 
errand  to  the  General  Court,  which  appointed  a  committee  to  confer  with 
them.  They  stated  their  case.  The  committee  sheltered  themselves 
behind  the  royal  patent,  and  said  they  knew  of  no  New  Netherland  jrron- 
ince  !  The  gentlemen  from  New  Netherland  offered  to  show  the  charter 
of  the  West  India  Company.  The  committee  said  that  this  was  only  a 
charter  of  commerce,  and  that  its  limits  were  conditional.  The  retort 
was,  that  the  right  to  the  territory  lay  with  the  States-General,  on  the 
ground  of  discovery,  purchase  from  the  Indians,  possession,  etc.  The 
committee  denied  that  right,  and  said  that  it  was  their  duty  to  make  the 
king's  grant  known.  "  How  then  are  we  to  regard  the  treaty  of  1650  ?" 
was  asked.     "  As  of  no  force  whatever,"  was  the  reply. 

The  commissioners  were  nonplussed.  They  began  to  suspect  a  "  wheel 
within  a  wheel  "  ;  that  the  powers  beyond  the  seas  were  working  mischief 
in  some  mysterious  Avay ;  that  bloodshed  w'as  lurking  at  their  very  doors. 
To  prevent  the  latter,  they  resolved  to  propose  that,  if  Connecticut  w^ould 
refrain  from  assuming  any  jurisdiction  over  the  English  settlements  on 
Long  Island  until  the  king  and  the  States-General  should  agree  on  a  boun- 
dary line,  New  Netherland  would  abandon  all  control  over  Westchester. 
The  Hartford  committee  declined  to  agi-ee  to  this ;  but,  after  a  long  and 
excited  debate,  they  offered  to  refrain  for  twelve  months  from  exercising 
authority  over  the  specified  Long  Island  towns,  provided  the  Dutch 
did  not  attempt  any  coercive  power  over  them  ;  but  Westchester  and 
Stamford  must  remain  under  Connecticut. 

The  commissioners,  upon  their  return,  found  Stuyvesant  seriously 
alarmed.  "  What  shall  I  do  ?  "  he  asked  in  despair.  "  Our  treasury  is  ex- 
hausted. Long  Island  in  revolt,  and  the  Esopus  -war  not  ended  ! "  Seventy 
or  eighty  men  had  actually  been  in  arms,  marching  from  village  to  village 
on  Long  Island,  in  some  instances  changing  the  names  of  the  places,  and 
threatening  the  Dutch  with  extermination.     He  did  not  hesitate,  but  sent 


204  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

Vice-Governor  De  Sille,  with  a  posse  of  soldiers,  to  check  the  rebellion,  and 
wrote  to  Winthrop,  accepting  the  proposition  in  regard  to  a  mutual  for- 
bearance of  jurisdiction  for  twelve  months.  Shortly  after,  he  heard  that 
twenty  New-Englanders  had  gone  to  the  Raritan  Kiver,  to  buy  land  of 
the  Indians.  He  sent  Martin  Cregier,  C!  overt  Loockermans,  and  Jacques 
Cortelyou,  with  a  few  soldiers,  in  hot  haste,  to  warn  the  sachems  and  pre- 
vent the  sale. 

"  You  are  a  band  of  traitors,  and  you  act  against  the  government  of  the 
state,"  said  Loockermans,  with  dignity. 

"  Your  government ! "  was  the  contemptuous  response,  "  the  king's 
patent  is  of  quite  another  cast." 

On  the  2d  of  November,  a  convention  was  summoned  which  adopted 
a  stern  remonstrance,  to  be  forwarded  to  Holland.     It  charged  the 

Nov  2. 

responsibility  of  the  disastrous  condition  of  the  province  upon  the 
West  India  Company,  who  seemed  to  be  losing  sight  altogether  of  their 
own  best  interests.  "  Why  do  you  not  settle  the  boundary  question  ?  " 
asked  Stuy  vesant,  in  a  private  letter  to  the  directors.  "  Why  is  not  your 
original  charter  solemnly  confirmed  by  a  public  act  of  the  States-General 
under  their  great  seal  ?  Why  are  we  left  to  fight  your  battles  without 
any  legal  papers  or  patents  by  which  we  can  respond  to  English  imper- 
tinence ? " 

In  December,  Scott  returned  to  America,  bearing  royal  letters,  recom- 
mending him   to   the  New  England   governments.     Connecticut 
gave  him  the  powers  of  a  magistrate  over  Long  Island,  and  Win- 
throp administered  the  oath  of  office.     He  proceeded  to  his  field,  and  im- 
mediately commenced  the  missionary  work  of  "  freeing  those  who  had 
been  enslaved  by  the  cruel  and  rapacious  Dutch."     He  announced  that 
Long  Island  was  about  to  be  given  by  the  king  to  his  brother  the  Duke  of 
York,  henceforth  to  be  an  independent  government,  and  that,  until  then, 
he  was  to  act  as  President.     He  raised  a  force  of  one  hundred  and 

Jan.  11. 

seventy  men,  to  assist  in  the  reduction  of  the  Dutch  villages.  He 
proceeded  from  place  to  place,  haranguing  the  people,  and  making  unsuc- 
cessful efforts  to  establish  his  authority.  In  Breuckelen,  he  was  jeered 
and  insulted.  In  a  fit  of  anger,  he  struck  Martin  Cregier's  son,  a  bright 
boy  of  thirteen  years,  over  the  head  with  his  whip,  for  refusing  to  take 
off  his  hat  to  the  royal  flag. 

Stuyvesant  sent  Van  Euyven,  Van  Cortlandt,  and  Cregier  to  Jamaica  to 

treat  with  Scott,  and  they  Avere  coolly  informed  that  "  the  Duke  of 
*"'    '  York  was  soon  to  possess  himself  of  the  whole  of  New  Nether- 
land  " !     Upon  their  return,  measures  for  defense  were  at  once  discussed. 
The  city  offered  to  appropriate  its  revenues  towards  the  expense,  and  to 


IIOX.  J  Kin:  Ml  AS    VAN    liKSSSELAKi;. 


205 


raise  a  loan  besides.     The  Slate  <,'()veiiiiiu'nt  would  do  what  it  coidd,  hut 
it  was  dril'tiii},'  into  haiikniptcy. 

Tlie  coulusioii  on  Loni;  Ishmd   roiitiiiucd,  and,  at  hist,  StU}  vesunt  went 


Portrait  of  Hon.  Jeremias  Van  Rensselaer 


over  to  hold  a  personal  interview  with  Scott.  Tlie  latter,  though  a 
man  of  much  boldness,  possessed  little  principle.  He  had  been 
an  officer  in  the  army  of  Charles  I.,  but  was  arrested  for  cut- 
ting the  girths  of  some  of  the  Parliamentary  horses,  and  was  not  only 
fined  £500,  bvit  also  banished  to  New  England.  Stuyvesant  was  at- 
tended by  Van  Cortlandt,  John  T.^iwrence,  Jacob  Backer,  and  a  military 
escort.     Scott  was  surrounded  by  delegates  from  some  of  the  English 


206  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

towns,  among  whom  were  Daniel  Denton,  John  Underhill,  and  Adam 
Mott.  The  result  was  only  a  conditional  arrangement,  by  which  the 
principal  English  towns  on  Long  Island  were  to  remain  under  the  king 
without  molestation  for  twelve  months,  to  afford  opportunity  for  settle- 
ment in  Europe. 

By  request  of  the  burgomasters  and  schepens  of  New  Amsterdam,  a 
Landtdag,  or  Diet,  was  called,  which  assembled  in  the  City  HaU 

^'  'on  the  10th  of  April,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  into  consideration 
the  precarious  condition  of  the  province,  The  delegates  from  New 
Amsterdam  were  Burgomaster  Cornells  Steenwyck  and  Schepen  Jacob 
Backer ;  from  Eensselaerswick,  Director  Jeremias  Van  Rensselaer  and 
Attorney  Van  Schelluyne ;  from  Fort  Orange,  Jan  Verbeck  and  Gerrit 
Van  Slechtenhorst ;  from  Breuckelen,  William  Bredenbent  and  Albert 
Cornelis  Wantenaar ;  from  Flatbush,  Jan  Strycker  and  William  Guil- 
liams ;  from  Esopus,  Thomas  Chambers  and  Dr.  Van  Imbroeck ;  from 
Flatlands,  Elbert  Elbertsen  and  Coert  Stevensen;  from  New  Utrecht, 
David  Jochemsen  and  Cornelis  Beekman ;  from  Bosw^ck,  Jan  Van  Cleef 
and  Guisbert  Teunissen;  from  New  Haerlem,  Daniel  Terneur  and  Jo- 
hannes Verveeler ;  from  Bergen,  Englebert  Steenhuysen  and  Herman 
Smeeman ;  from  Staten  Island,  David  De  Marest  and  Pierre  Billou. 

The  first  question  which  agitated  this  august  assemblage  was  that  of 
the  presidency.  New  Amsterdam  claimed  the  honor,  as  the  capital; 
Eensselaerswick,  as  the  oldest  colony.  The  right  of  the  latter  was 
finally  admitted,  and  Hon.  Jeremias  Van  Rensselaer  took  the  chair.  The 
convention  next  demanded  protection  of  the  government  against  both 
barbarian  and  civilized  foes  ;  and,  if  such  protection  could  not  be 
'  afforded,  it  desired  to  be  informed  "  to  whom  the  people  should 
address  themselves."  Stuyvesant  answered,  with  dignity  and  subtle 
sarcasm,  that 
he  had  done  all 
and  more  than 


his  means  per-  ^yf ,  ^^^    • 

mitted.   and  ^Aftmm. 


that  the  object 
of  the  conven- 
tion was  to 
consult,  and 
not  to  dispute, 
as  to  the  best 

method  of  raising  men  and  money  to  meet  the  emergency.     The  delegates 
apologized,  saying,  they  wished  only  to  know  whether  their  application 


Autograph  of  Jeremias  Van  Rensselaer. 


77/ A'  CONVENTION   OF  IGGl  207 

should  be  addressed  U)  the  West  India  Comjjany  or  tlic  StaUiS-Oeneral. 
Stiiyvesant  ac!cej)ted  tlu;  exjilaiuition,  and  pnuecdcd  to  dciiiie  the  liusi- 
ness  before  the  j,'entlenien  assenihUid.  He  said  New  Nctherland  had 
never  contrUmteil  to  lier  own  support  or  del'ense.  He  proposed  a  tax  on 
mills  and  eattle,  and  the  enrollment  of  every  sixth  man  in  the  provinee 
on  the  militia.  To  this  the  eonvention  would  not  assent,  but  j)repared 
an  a})peal  to  the  company  for  the  nec^essary  aid. 

Before  it  was  sent,  a  vessel  arrived,  brinj,dng  letters  I'loin  Europe. 
Stuyvesant  was  informed  that  soldiers  were  on  the  way  from  Ilolhind  ; 
and  he  was  instructed  to  exterminate  the  Esopus  Indians,  and  to  check 
the  arrogance  of  the  English  on  Ivong  Island.  The  States-deneral  liad 
actually  issued  under  their  great  seal  a  j)atent  confirming  the  cliarter  of 
the  West  India  Company,  —  an  important  movement,  had  it  come  a  little 
earlier.  The  convention,  which  had  adjourned  for  a  week,  came 
together  once  more,  liut  it  was  not  in  favor  of  an  attempt  to  re-  ^ 
duce  the  English  towns.  "  Let  me  assure  you,"  said  Cornelis  Beekman, 
"  that  the  English  rebels  are  as  six  to  one,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  subdue  them.  Connecticut  would  come  to  their  help  and  massacre 
us  all." 

As  ibr  the  Indians,  they  were  ap})arently  humbled.  Three  sachems 
were,  at  that  moment,  in  New  Amsterdam  suing  for  peace.  It  was  wise 
to  treat  with  them.  The  result  was  a  general  treaty,  concluded  in 
the  Council  Chamber  on  the  15th  of  May.  There  were  present  a  ^^ 
large  number  of  chiefs  ;  Governor  Stuyvesant,  in  full  robes  of  state,  with 
Vice-Governor  De  Sille  at  his  right  hand ;  Abraham  Wilmerdoncx,  Jr., 
of  the  West  India  Company  ;  Thomas  Chambers,  of  Esopus ;  and,  of  the 
city  magistrates,  Cornelis  Steenwyck,  Paulus  Van  der  Grist,  Martin 
Cregier,  Govert  Loockermans,  Jacob  Backer,  and  Pieter  Van  Couwenhoven. 
Sarah,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Hans  Kiersted,  acted  as  interpreter.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  the  celebrated  Anetje  Jans  Bogardus,  and  was  a  woman  of 
unusual  nerve  and  strength  of  character.  On  many  previous  occasions, 
she  had  filled  the  office  of  interpreter  with  great  satisfaction  to  the 
sachems,  one  of  whom  made  her  a  present  of  a  large  tract  of  land,  near 
the  Hackinsack  Eiver.^ 

While  the  people  of  New  Amsterdam  were  thus  engaged,  Connecticut 
had  reached  across  the  Sound  and  spoiled  the  ambitious  projects  of 
President  Scott,  who  was  carried  to  Hartford  and  imprisoned.  Shortly 
after,  when  Stuyvesant's  messengers  went  through  the  Long  Island  towns 

'  -M'tcr  the  death  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Kiersted,  Dr.  Kiei-sted  married  Jannetje  Loockerniaiis, 
who  died  about  1710.  Dr.  Kiereted  left  five  children,  whose  descendants  are  numerous  and 
influential  at  the  present  day. 


208  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

with  mandatory  letters  from  the  States-General,  they  were  forbidden  to 
read  them,  and  the  documents  were  seized  and  sent  to  Hartford.  Win- 
throp  questioned  their  authenticity.  At  all  events,  he  was  fortified  by 
the  king's  patent.  About  the  same  time,  he  authorized  Tliomas  Pell  to 
trade  with  the  Indians  for  all  the  land  between  Westchester  and  the 
North  River,  including  Spuyten  Duyvel  Creek,  which  the  Dutch  had 
bought  and  paid  for,  fifteen  years  before. 

Early  in  June,  news  came  to  the  city  that  Winthrop  was  at  Gravesend, 
and  Stuyvesant,  accompanied  by  Secretary  Van  Ruyven  and  sev- 
eral other  prominent  gentlemen,  went  over  to  meet  him.  Win- 
throp was  very  courtly  and  cold,  and  insisted  that  the  English  title  was 
indisputable  ;  so  that  the  interview  was  without  any  favorable  results. 

Meanwhile,  in  spite  of  treaties  and  at  the  risk  of  war,  Charles  and  his 
ministers  had  resolved  to  seize  New  Netherland.  The  first  important 
step  was  to  purchase  Lord  Stirling's  interest  in  Long  Island,  for  which 
Clarendon  agreed  to  pay  three  thousand  five  hundred  pounds,  in  behalf 
of  his  son-in-law,  James,  Duke  of  York.  He  then  hastened  to  affix  the 
gi-eat  seal  to  a  patent,  by  which  the  king  granted  to  the  Duke  of  York 
"  the  territory  comprehending  Long  Island  and  the  islands  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  all  the  lands  and  rivers  from  the  west  side  of  the  Connecti- 
cut River  to  the  east  side  of  Delaware  Bay."  This  included  the  whole  of 
New  Netherland,  and  was  in  utter  disregard  of  the  Connecticut  Charter. 

An  expedition  against  the  Dutch  in  America  was  at  once  ordered,  but 
kept  a  profound  secret,  lest  the  States-General  should  send  a  squadron  to 
aid  their  unprotected  subjects.  The  Duke  of  York,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed Lord  High  Admiral  of  the  British  dominions,  was  to  manage  the 
enterprise.  He  borrowed  of  the  king  four  war-vessels,  on  which  he 
embarked  four  hundred  and  fifty  well-trained  soldiers,  under  the 

^  ■  command  of  Colonel  Richard  Nicolls,  the  groom  of  his  bedcham- 
ber, who  was  also  commissioned  as  governor  of  the  yet  unpossessed  tem- 
tory.  Among  the  commissioned  officers  serving  under  Nicolls,  were 
Matthias  Nicolls,  Daniel  Brodhead,  Robert  Needham,  Harry  Norwood, 
and  Sylvester  Salisbury,  some  of  whom  were  accompanied  by  their 
families.^  A  commission,  consisting  of  Colonel  Nicolls,  Sir  Robert  Carr, 
Sir  George  Cartwright,  and  Samuel  Maverick,  were  empowered  to  attenil 
to  the  general  welfare  of  the  colonies,  settle  boundaries,  etc.  The  fleet 
sailed  from  Portsmouth  about  the  middle  of  IMay.^ 

1  Matthias  Nicolls  settled  on  Long  Island  ;  Daniel  Brodhead  and  Sylvester  Salisbury,  in 
Ulster  County,  New  York.  Their  descendants  are  very  numerous,  and  rank  among  the  best 
families  in  this  country. 

2  Col.  Doc,  II.  243-501  ;  III.  66.  Mass.  H.  S.  Coll.,  XXXVI.  527.  Pepy.%  IV.  353. 
Clarice's  Mines  II.,  I.  400.  Falentiiie's  Maiiua.l  1&60,  592.  Smith,  I.  16.  JFood,  144. 
Brodhead,  II.  21. 


rxFu/K.y /)/.)'  /:x r /■:/)/ no y.  209 

The  first  intimation  Now  Anistoiduni  locoived  of  these  hostile  flesi^'ns 
was  through  Uicliard  Loiil,  of  Lyme,  a  merchant,  who  was  sending'  vessels 
to  both  Uoston  and  New  Amstenlam.  lie  heard  of  it  in  the  f(»rmer 
])lace  and  communieated  the  fact  to  Thomas  Willett,  with  whom  he  was 
do'uv^  business.  Willett  hastened  to  Stuyvesant,  and,  within  an  hour,  the 
bury;omasters  and  schepeus  were  in  close  couucil  with  the  brave  old 
soklier,  devising  plans  for  fortifying  the  city.  Some  vessels  on  the  point 
of  sailing  for  Curac^'oa  were  countermanded,  and  agents  were  sent  hurriedly 
to  New  Haven  to  buy  provisions.  Men  were  stationed  at  Westchester 
and  Milford,  to  act  the  part  of  spies,  and  announce  the  approach  of  the 
enemy,  who  were  expected  by  way  of  the  Sound.  A  loan  of  money  was 
obtained  from  Jeremias  Van  Rensselaer,  and  a  quantity  of  powder  was 
secured  from  New  Amstel.  At  this  critical  moment,  when  every  hour 
was  more  precious  than  gold,  a  dispatch  from  the  Amsterdam  Chamber 
to  Stuyvesant  declared  that  no  danger  from  England  need  be  appre- 
hended, —  that  the  king  had  only  sent  some  frigates  to  introduce  Episco- 
pacy into  New  England. 

Confidence  was  thus  restored,  and  the  Curaijoa  vessels  were  permitted 
to  depart.  Mischievous  quarrels  among  the  Indians  to  the  North 
induced  Stuyvesant  to  take  a  trip  to  Fort  Orange.  He  had 
reached  his  destination  and  entered  upon  the  work  of  reconciling  the 
savages,  when  an  express  followed  him  to  say  that  the  English  squadron 
was  actually  on  the  way  from  Boston  to  New  Amsterdam.  He  hurried 
home,  arriving  only  three  days  before  the  English  banners  floated  over 
the  bay,  just  below  the  Nan-ows.  One  of  his  first  acts  was  to  set  all  his 
own  negro  slaves  and  hired  workmen  at  his  farm  thrashing 
gi'ain  night  and  day,  and  carting  it  to  the  fort.  Three  weeks  had 
been  lost  in  false  security  ;  the  city,  alas !  was  ill  prepared  to  stand  a 
siege.  The  fort,  and  the  wall  at  Wall  Street,  however  strong  a  defense 
against  the  Indians,  would  avail  positively  nothing  against  a  civilized  foe ; 
and  there  was  the  exposure  on  two  rivers  !  Four  hundred  men  were  all 
that  could  be  mustered,  to  bear  arms.  Six  hundred  pounds  was  the  max- 
imum of  powder  in  the  fort.  Then,  the  English  inhabitants  were  numer- 
ous and  would  aid  the  king's  forces  ;  and  the  latter,  before  casting  anchor, 
had  cut  oti'  all  communication  between  the  city  and  Long  Island,  and  had 
scattered  proclamations  through  the  country,  promising  safe  and  undis- 
turbed possession  of  property  to  all  who  would  quietly  submit  to  the 
government  of  England. 

Stuyvesant  regarded  the  situation  with  dismay.  The  English  were  in 
full  possession  of  the  harbor.  He  hastily  called  in  the  few  soldiers  from 
Esopus  and  other  outposts,  and,  wishing  to  ascertain  the  condition  of 


210  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

affairs  on  Long  Island,  sent  to  the  English  commander  four  commission- 
ers, representing  the  council  and  the  city,  with  a  letter  inquiring  the  object 
of  his  coming,  and  why  he  remained  so  long  in  the  harbor  without  giving 
due  notice.  Nicolls  replied,  that  he  had  come  to  reduce  the  country  to 
the  obedience  of  the  king  of  England,  whose  commission  he  displayed ; 
and  that  he  woiild  send  a  letter  to  the  governor  on  the  following  day. 

Saturday  morning.  Sir  George  Cartwright  and  three  other  gentle- 
°^'  '  men  came  to  the  city,  and  were  received  with  a  formal  salute  from 
the  guns  of  the  Battery.  The  interview  was  ceremonious  in  the  extreme. 
They  bore  from  Nicolls  to  Stuyvesant  a  formal  summons  to  surrender  the 
province  of  New  Netherland,  with  all  its  towns,  forts,  etc.,  at  the  same 
time  promising  to  confirm  his  estate,  life,  and  liberty  to  every  man  who 
should  submit  without  opposition  to  the  king's  authority. 

Nicolls  having  omitted  to  sign  this  summons,  it  was  returned  to  the 
delegates,  and  time  thereby  gained.  Stuyvesant  and  his  council  con- 
sulted with  the  city  magistrates.  Stuyvesant  was  determined  upon  de- 
fending his  post  to  the  last,  and  withheld  the  paper  which  contained  the 
terms  of  surrender,  lest  it  shovdd  influence  the  people  to  insist  upon 
capitulation.  The  city  magistrates  were  strongly  in  favor  of  non-resist- 
ance, but  thought  it  well  to  bring  the  city  into  as  fair  a  state  of  defense 
as  possible,  in  order  to  obtain  "  good  terms  and  conditions."  Men  worked 
all  day  Sunday  on  the  fortifications,  and  the  officers  of  the  government 

were  in  close  council  for  several  hours.  On  Monday  morning,  a 
'  meeting  of  the  citizens  was  called  at  the  City  Hall,  and  the  bur- 
gomasters stated  publicly  that  they  had  been  denied  a  copy  of  the  sum- 
mons which  Nicolls  had  sent  to  Stuyvesant,  but  explained  the  terms  of 
surrender.  A  loud  clamor  at  once  arose  for  the  paper  itself  Stuyvesant 
came  to  the  City  Hall  and  attempted  to  explain  the  impossibility  of 
surrender  under  any  circumstances,  the  extreme  displeasure  it  would 
occasion  in  Holland,  the  painful  responsibility  that  was  resting  upon  him, 
etc.,  etc.,  but,  in  the  end,  produced  the  desired  document. 

The  work  of  preparation  continued  through  the  day ;  and  anxiety  and 

excitement  were  everywhere  apparent.  On  Tuesday  morning, 
*^  '  "  Governor  Winthrop,  who  had  joined  the  fleet,  accompanied  by  his 
son  Fitz  John,  Ex-Governor  Willys,  Thomas  WiUett,  and  two  Boston  gen- 
tlemen, visited  the  city  in  a  row-boat,  under  a  flag  of  truce.  As  they 
landed  at  the  wharf,  a  salute  was  fired,  and  they  were  conducted  to  the 
nearest  public  house.  Stuyvesant  met  them  with  stately  politeness. 
Winthrop's  mission  was  to  present  a  carefully  written  letter  from  Nicolls 
and  to  use  his  own  utmost  endeavor  to  persuade  the  Dutch  governor  into 
a  peaceful  submission.     There  were  many  courtly  speeches  and  replies 


WfXTiinoi's  /XT/:uv//:\r  wrni  sTrYVKSAsr.      211 

(luriiif^  tho  iiitorview,  but  Stuyvesant  was  iroii-lKfarUul  aii<l  declined 
\Viiitlii()l)'8  urbane  advice.  On  taking'  leave,  WinLbrop  handed  i\w.  fol- 
b»win<4  letU'r,  adciressed  to  himself,  to  Stuyvesant,  who  read  it  aloud  t<t 
the  gentlenien  of  his  council  and  the  Imrj^oniasUfrs  present; 

"  Mu.  WiNTiiuoi'  :  As  to  tliiisc  particulars  you  spoke  lo  iiic,  I  do  assuro  you 
that  if  tho  Mauhiuloos  \w  (U'Hvi^-cd  up  to  his  ^blj('sty,  I  shall  not  liinder, 
but  any  pooplo  from  the  Notlu'ilands  may  freely  come  and  plant  there,  or 
thereabouts  ;  and  such  vessels  of  their  owne  country  may  frecdy  comt;  thither, 
and  any  of  them  may  as  freely  rcturne  home,  in  vessels  of  their  owne  country,  and 
this,  and  nnich  more,  is  contained  in  the  privilege  of  his  Majesty's  English  sub- 
jects ;  anil  thus  much  you  may,  by  what  means  you  please,  assure  the  governor 
from,  Sir,  Your  very  alfectionate  servant, 

"  Richard  Nicolls." 

The  burgomasters  asked  permission  to  read  this  letter  to  the  citizens. 
Stuyvesant  pronounced  such  a  course  injudicious  and  refused  his  consent. 
Van  Cortlaudt  declared  that  all  which  concerned  the  public  welfare 
ought  to  be  made  public.  High  words  ensued  on  both  sides,  and  finally 
Stuyvesant  in  a  fit  of  passionate  indignation  tore  the  letter  in  pieces. 
Steenwyck,  in  angry  tones,  condemned  the  destruction  of  a  paper  of  so 
much  consequence,  and,  with  the  other  magistrates,  quitted  the  fort.  A 
crowd  had  collected  about  the  City  Hall,  to  learn  how  matters  stood. 
The  news  was  received  with  lowering  brows.  Suddenly  the  work  on  the 
palisades  stopped,  and  three  of  the  principal  citizens  —  not  belonging  to 
the  government  —  appeared  before  the  governor  and  council  and  peremp- 
torily demanded  a  copy  of  the  letter.  They  were  not  disposed  to  parley. 
The  fragments  were  shown  to  them ;  but  no  reasoning  would  satisfy  them. 
They  threateneil  —  covertly  at  first,  and  then  openly.  Stuyvesant  hun-ied 
to  the  City  Hall  and  tried  in  vain  to  quiet  the  raving  multitude.  "  It 
would  be  as  idle  to  attempt  to  defend  the  city  against  so  many  as  to  gape 
before  an  oven,"  was  the  general  cry.  Some  cursed  the  governor ;  others 
cursed  the  company ;  but  all  united  in  a  demand  for  the  letter.  He 
argued  that  it  did  not  concern  the  commonalty,  but  only  the  officers  of 
the  government.  "  The  letter !  The  letter ! "  was  the  only  reply.  Ke- 
tiring  from  this  outburst  of  popular  fury,  he  returned  to  the  fort,  and 
Nicholas  Bayard,  his  private  secretary,  having  gathered  the  scattered 
scraps,  made  a  copy  of  the  mutilated  document,  which  was  given  to  the 
burgomasters. 

Meanwhile,  Stuj^-esant  had  been  preparing  an  answ^er  to  the  summons 
of  Nicolls.  It  was  an  overwhelming  argument,  tracing  the  history  of 
New  Netherland  through  aU  its  vicissitudes,  and  pointing  out  the  abso- 


212  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

lute  unsoundness  of  the  English  claim.  He  pictured  in  earnest  language 
the  consequences  of  any  violation  of  the  articles  of  peace  so  solemnly 
agreed  upon  by  Charles  and  the  States-General,  and  warned  the  English 
commander  against  aggression.  He  sent  four  of  his  ablest  advisers  —  two 
from  his  council  and  two  from  the  city  —  to  convey  the  document  to 
Colonel  Nicolls,  and  to  "  argue  the  matter  "  with  him. 

Nicolls  declined  discussion.  He  said  the  question  of  right  did  not  con- 
cern him.  He  must  and  woidd  take  possession  of  the  place.  If  the 
reasonable  terms  he  offered  were  not  accepted,  he  should  proceed  to 
attack. 

"  On  Thursday,  I  shall  speak  with  you  at  the  Manhattans,"  he  said, 
with  dignity. 

"  Friends  will  be  welcome,  if  they  come  in  a  friendly  manner,"  replied 
one  of  the  delegates. 

"  I  shall  come  with  my  ships  and  soldiers,  and  he  will  be  a  bold  mes- 
senger indeed  who  wiU  dare  to  come  on  board  and  solicit  terms,"  was  his 
rejoinder. 

"  Wliat,  then,  is  to  be  done  ?  "  was  asked. 

"  Hoist  the  white  flag  of  peace  at  the  fort,  and  I  may  take  something 
into  consideration." 

The  delegates  returned  sadly  to  New  Amsterdam.  Nicolls,  seeing 
that  Stuyvesant  was  not  disposed  to  surrender,  made  preliminary  arrange- 
ments for  storming  the  city.  He  called  the  people  of  Long  Island 
together  at  Gravesend,  and  published  the  king's  patent  to  the  Duke  of 
York,  and  his  own  commission,  in  their  presence.  Winthrop  announced, 
on  behalf  of  Connecticut,  that,  as  the  king's  pleasure  was  now  fully  signi- 
fied, the  jurisdiction  which  that  colony  had  claimed  and  exercised  over 
Long  Island  "  ceased  and  became  null."  Nicolls  promised  to  confirm  all 
the  civil  officers  who  had  been  appointed  by  Connecticut,  —  which  gave 
immense  satisfaction.  Volunteers,  to  swell  his  army,  came  from  all  parts 
of  the  island.  Prospects  of  plunder  seem  to  have  entered  largely  into 
their  calculations.  The  citizens  of  New  Amsterdam  regarded  them  as 
their  deadly  enemies ;  and  well  they  might,  at  this  juncture,  for  threats 
and  curses  filled  the  air,  and  rovers  talked  openly  of  "  where  the  young 
women  lived  who  wore  chains  of  gold." 

The  volunteers  were  encamped  just  below  Breuckelen,  to  be  ready  to 

storm  the  city  by  land.     Nicolls  sent  a  few  of  his  troops  to  join  them. 

It  was  rumored  that  six  hundred  Northern  savages  and  one  hundred 

and  fifty  Frenchmen  had  re-enforced  the  English  forces  against 

Sept.  6.  -^  ri  o 

the  Dutch.     On  the  morning  of  September  5tli,  Nicolls  came  up 
under  full  sail,  and  anchored  between  the  fort  and  Governor's  Island. 


77/ A'  en  ISIS.  21.*5 

The  crisis  had  come.  New  Anisterdani,  with  its  j)f)]iuUiti()n  of  tULeeii 
hundrcil  souls,  was  "eiuircled  round  about,"  without  any  means  of 
(U'livi'ianct'.  "  It  is  a  matter  of  dcspenition  mther  tlian  sokliershij)  to 
attemjjt  to  hohl  tin;  loil,"  said   Vice-Governor  De  SiUc. 

IStuyvesant  stood  in  owv  ol'  the  anj,des  of  the  fort,  near  where  the  gun- 
ner held  a  burning-  match,  awaiting  the  order  to  tire  at  the  approachinj,' 
vessels.  He  had  been  expostulatiMl  with  l)y  one  and  another,  who  saw 
only  infatuation  and  ruin  in  resisting  a  foe  with  such  extraordinary  ad- 
vantage in  point  of  numbers ;  but  to  all  he  had  answered,  with  emjdiasis, 
"  I  must  act  in  obedience  to  orders."  "  It  is  madness,"  said  Dominie 
Megapolensis,  laying  his  hand  lovingly  upon  the  governor's  shoidder. 
"  Do  you  not  see  that  there  is  no  help  for  us  either  to  the  north  or  to 
the  south,  to  the  east  or  to  the  west  ?  What  will  our  twenty  guns  do 
in  the  face  of  the  sixty-two  which  are  pointed  towards  us  on  yonder 
frigates  ?     Pray,  do  not  be  the  first  to  shed  blood  ! " 

Just  then,  a  paper  was  brought  to  Stuyvesant  signed  by  ninety-three 
of  the  principal  citizens,  including  the  burgomasters  and  schepens,  and 
his  own  son,  Balthazar,  urging  with  manly  arguments  that  he  would  not 
doom  the  city  to  ashes  and  spill  innocent  blood,  as  it  was  evident  the 
sacrifice  could  avail  nothing  in  the  end.  He  read  the  appeal  with  white 
lips,  and  with  unspeakable  sorrow  expressed  in  every  feature.  His  only 
remark  was,  "  I  had  rather  be  carried  to  my  grave."  Five  minutes  later, 
the  white  flag  waved  above  the  fort. 

Arrangements  were  immediately  made  for  a  meeting,  to  agree  upon 
articles  of  capitulation.  The  time  was  eight  o'clock,  on  Saturday  morn- 
ing ;  the  place,  Stuy^-esant's  country-house  at  the  farm.  Cidonel 
Nicolls  appointed  his  two  colleagues.  Sir  Eobert  Carr  and  Sir 
George  Carteret,  and  the  New  England  gentlemen,  Governor  Winthrop 
and  Ex-Governor  Willys  of  Connecticut,  and  John  Pinchou  and  Thomas 
Clarke  of  Boston,  as  his  commissioners.  Stuyvesant  selected  Hon.  John 
De  Decker,  Hon.  Nicholas  Varlett,  and  Dominie  Megapolensis  from  his 
council,  to  represent  the  province,  and  Cornells  Steenwyck,  Oloff  S.  Van 
Cortlandt,  and  Jacques  Cousseau,  to  represent  the  city.  The  proclama- 
tion and  the  reiterated  promises  of  Nicolls  formed  the  basis  of  the 
twenty-four  articles  which  were  carefully  and  intelligently  discussed  on 
that  momentous  occasion.  The  Dutch  citizens  were  guaranteed  security 
in  their  property,  customs,  conscience,  and  religion.  Intercourse  with 
Holland  was  to  continue  as  before  the  coming  of  the  English.  Public 
buildings  and  public  records  were  to  be  respected;  and  all  civil  offiicers 
were  to  remain  in  power  until  the  customary  time  for  a  new  election. 
The  articles  of  capitulation  were  to  be  ratified  by  NicoUs  and  delivered 


214  HliSTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

to  Stuyvesant  by  eight  o'clock  on  Monday  morning,  at  the  "  old  mill," 
on  the  shore  of  the  East  River,  near  the  foot  of  Eoosevelt  Street,  at  the 
outlet  of  the  brook  which  ran  from  the  Fresh  Water  Pond.  Within  two 
hours  afterward,  the  fort  was  to  be  vacated,  the  military  marching  out 
with  all  the  honors  of  war. 

On  Sunday  afternoon,  after  the  second  sermon,  the  conciliatory  terms 

by  which  New  Amsterdam  was  surrendered  —  terms,  perhaps,  the  most 

favorable  ever  granted  by  a  conqueror  —  were  explained  to  the 

*^  ■  '   anxious  community.     On  Monday  morning,  Stuyvesant  and  his 

council  affixed  their  names  to  the  articles  of  capitulation,  and  exchanged 

them  with  Xicolls.     All  things  being  ready,  the  gaiTison  marched  out 

of  the  fort,  carrying  their  arms,  with  drums  beating  and  colors  flying, 

and  embarked  on  a  vessel  about  to  set  sail  for  HoUand.     Colonel  Nicolls 

and  Sir  Robert  Carr  formed  their  companies  into  six  columns, 

and  entered  the  town  as  the  Dutch  garrison  departed.     The  city 

magistrates  were   assembled   in   the   council   chamber,  and  with   much 

ceremony  proclaimed  NicoUs   governor  of  the   province.     The    English 

flag  was  raised  over  the  fort,  which  was  now  to  be  called  Fort  James,  and 

New  Amsterdam  was  henceforth  to  be  known  as  New  York. 

The  conquest  of  Long  Island  and  New  Amsterdam  has  been  widely 
stigmatized  as  an  act  of  peculiar  national  baseness.  It  was  matured  in 
secret  and  accomplished  with  deliberate  deceit  towards  a  friendly  govern- 
ment. It  provoked  a  war  which  disgraced  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  ;  a 
war  in  which  Dutch  fleets  not  only  swept  the  Channel,  but  entered  the 
Thames,  burned  the  warehouses  and  dock-yards  at  Chatham,  and  mad- 
dened and  terrified  the  citizens  of  London  with  the  roar  of  their  cannon. 
And  yet,  unjustifiable  as  it  surely  was  for  an  undeclared  enemy  to  sneak 
into  a  remote  harbor  and  treacherously  seize  a  province,  the  temptation 
furnished  by  the  circumstances  of  the  case  may  perhaps  be  cited  as  a 
sort  of  palliation  of  the  deed.  The  West  India  Company  and  the 
States-General  had  always  undervalued  New  Netherland ;  it  was  their 
neglect  of  it  which  had  been  the  most  potent  stimulus  to  English  am- 
bition ;  and  finally,  the  event  itself  could  not  have  been  avoided  by  the 
Dutch  government  unless  all  their  previous  policy  had  been  reversed 
and  their  title  planted  upon  a  more  tenable  basis. 

Stuyvesant  was  mortified  and  humiliated  beyond  expression.  His 
solitary  heroism,  and  his  loyalty,  unshaken  to  the  last,  did  not  protect 
him  from  the  severe  censure  of  his  superiors.  He  was  summoned  to 
Holland  to  render  an  account  of  his  administration,  and  detained  there 
many  months.  The  soulless  corporation  was  dying  by  inches.  The  loss 
of  its  province  had  been  its  death-blow.     But  it  had  sufficient  vitality 


! 


TIIK   ST  I'  Y  VESA  X  T   PEA  It   TR  EK. 


2ir> 


letl  to  make  u  tlosperato  elVoiL  to  .sliil't  tin;  icsponsihility  of  its  iiiiHtor- 
Luiies  upou  the  head  of  its  laithi'ul  aervaiit,  notwitlistaiidin^,'  abundant 
proof  that,  year  after  year,  and  by  almost  every  sliip  which  crossed  the 
ocean,  he.  had  warned  the  self-suHicient  company  of  the  im|)ossibility  of 
hohling  the  province  against  any  hostile  attack  without  the  means  to 
improve  its  weak  and  dangerous  ccjnilition.  The  peace  of  Breda  put  an 
end  to  the  controversy,  and  Stuyvesant,  whose  property  interests  were 
all  in  New  York,  returned  and  took  up  his  alxxle  here  as  a  private  citi- 
zen. While  at  the  Hague,  he  labored  incessantly  to  secure  irom  the 
king  the  ratification  of  the  sixth  article  in  his  treaty  with  NicoUs,  which 
granted  free  trade  with  Holland  in  Dutch  vessels.  He  wrote  to  Charles, 
that  New  York  could  scarcely  be  relieveil  by  England  chiring  the  pres- 
ent season,  and  that  what  he  asked  for  would  prevent  the  Indians  from 
diverting  their  traffic  to  Canada,  as  well  as  enable  the  Dutch  inhabitants 
to  follow  their  prosperous  vocations.  His  logic  was  convincing,  and 
Charles  authorized  the  Duke  of  York  to  grant  "  temporary  permission 
for  seven  years,  with  three  shijjs  only." 

Stuyvesant  brought  with 
him,  on  his  return  voyage  to 
New  York,  a  pear-tree,  which 
he  planted  in  his  garden. 
It  survived  the  storms  of 
two  hundred  winters.  As  the 
city  grew,  and  one  old  land- 
mark after  another  disap- 
peared, the  solitary  pear-tiee 
long  continued  to  put  out  its 
blossoms  every  spring  and  to 
l)eud  under  the  weight  of  its 
fruit  every  smiuner.  It  stood 
for  many  years,  surrounded 
by  an  iron  fence,  on  the  coi- 
ner of  East  13th  Street  and 
3d  Avenue ;  and  when,  at  last, 
it  fell,  many  a  loyal  mournei 
strove  to  obtain  a  fragment 
of  its  broken  body  to  preserve 
in  remembrance  of  by-gone 
times.  The  railing  which  en- 
closed   it    may   still    be    seen,  stuyvesant  s  Pear  Tree 

and  within  it  a  vigorous  young  offshoot  of  the  parent  tree,  putting  forth 


216 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YOBK. 


its  leaves  and  branches  with  an  appearance  of  family  pride,  and  a  good 
degree  of  the  family  energy. 

The  life  of  Governor  Stuyvesant  was  one  long  romantic  history,  as 
well  as  an  instructive  lesson.  He  had  marvelous  intellectual  power, 
great  subtlety  of  discernment,  and  yet  a  peculiar  turn  of  mind  which 
rendered  him  less  successful  in  politics  than  were  many  who  had  not 
half  his  ability.  He  gave  evidence  of  extensive  reading ;  a  fact  in 
itself  remarkable,  when  we  take  into  consideration  the  age  in  which  he 
lived,  and  the  difficulty,  at  that  time,  of  obtaining  books  in  this  country. 
He  was  a  courtly  man,  from  whom  the  freshness  of  youth   had  quite 


lu  thisVaultflies  huric  J 

PE  TRUS'STU  YVT.SANT, 

late  Captain-GeneM  and  Governor  inCliiefofiXmstcrdaTri 

uiNew^Nelherlaiicl  now  called  New  -\oik     —  _ 

mid  theDittdiWe^-Iriclia Islands  ,died  in  AX).167l 

aged-  80  years. 


Stuyvesant's  Tomb. 

departed,  when  he  retired  from  public  life.  He  was  active,  however,  in 
all  his  movements  long  after  a  restful  repose  had  settled  upon  his  care- 
worn features.  He  interested  himself  in  church  affairs  asd  in  city 
improvements,  grew  social  and  companionable,  frequently  dined  his 
English  successor  at  his  country-seat,  and  rendered  himself  very  dear  to 
his  family  and  intimate  friends.  He  gave  one  the  impression  of  fine 
rich  fruit,  not  tempting  in  external  show,  but  sound  and  sweet  to  the 
core.  He  died  in  1672,  and  was  interred  in  the  family  vault,  in  the 
church  upon  his  farm.  One  hundred  and  thirty  years  afterward,  St. 
Mark's  Church  was  erected  upon  the  same  site,  and  Peter  Stuyvesant, 
the  great-grandson  of  the  governor,  caused  the  vault  to  be  repaired  and 
enlarged.  Upon  the  outer  wall  of  St.  Mark's  Church  is  the  original  tab- 
let, of  which  the  sketch  is  a  facsimile. 

Governor  Stuyvesant  had  two  sons,  Balthazar  and  Nicholas  William. 


THE   S TV  Y  YES. I  ,\'  T    EA.Ml  A  )'. 


217 


The  former  wiia  lM)in  in  1()47,  and  the  luLler  in  l(i4H.  lialtlmzar  re- 
moved to  the  West  Indies  after  tlie  surrender  of  the  province.  Nicholas 
William  niarrieil  Maria,  the  only  daughter  of  William  l>eekman,  who 
dieil  without  issue.  He  then  married  Elizabeth  Slechtenhorst,  (lau<,'hter 
of  the  famous  connnauder  of  Ivensselaersvvick.  They  had  three  children, 
Peter,  Anna,  and  Uerardus.  The  former  died  in  1705,  having  never 
married.  Anna  marrieil  the  liev.  Air.  Tritehard,  an  Ejjiscopal  cleigyman. 
(lerardus  married  his  second  cousin,  Judith  Bayard.  They  had  four  sons, 
only  one  of  whom,  Teter,  left  descendants.  He  was  born  in  1727,  and 
married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Gilbert  Livingston.  Their  sons,  Nicholas 
William  and  I'eter  CJerard,  are  well  remembered  by  our  oliler  citizens; 
of  their  daughters,  Judith  married  Benjamin  Winthrop,  Cornelia  mar- 
ried Dirck  Ten  Broeck,  and  Elizabeth  miMried  Colonel  Nicholas  Fish 
and  was  the  mother  of  Hon.  Hamilton  fish,  the  present  Secretary  of 
State  for  the  United  Slates. 


["  Petersfield  "  was  the  residence  of  Peter  Gerard  Stuyvesant  (many  years  President  of  the  New  York 
Historical  Society),  who  married,  i,  Susan,  daughter  of  Colonel  Thomas  Barclay;  2,  Helen  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Hon.  John  Rutherford,  of  New  Jersey.  The  "  Bowery  House"  was  the  residence  of  Nich- 
olas William,  the  brother  of  Peter  (Jerard  Stuyvesant.  Both  mansions  were  built  prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tion. For  location,  see  map  of  Stuyvesant  estate,  page  18S.  The  chief  portion  of  this  extensive  prop- 
erty is  now  in  possession  of  the  three  descendants,  Hon.  Hamilton  Fish  (Secretary  of  State),  Benjamin 
Robert  Winthrop,  and  Louis  M.  Rutherford,  the  well-known  astronomer.] 


218  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


CHAPTER    XIII 


NEW    YORK. 

New  York.  —The  Duke  of  York.  —  Governor  Nicolls. — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johannes 
Van  Brugh.  —  The  Brodhead  Family. — Albany. — The  Taking  of  the  Oath  of 
Allegiance  to  England.  — Sir  Robert  Carr  at  Delaware  Bay.  —  An  Extraordi- 
nary Complication. — Connecticut  Diplomacy. — The  Dividing  Line  between 
Connecticut  and  New  York.  —  New  Jersey.  —  Elizabethtown.  —  Johannes  De 
Peyster.  —  Interesting  Controversy. — Court  of  Assizes.  —  Nicolls  a  Law- 
Maker.  —  The  Hemp.stead  Convention.  —  "  The  Duke's  L.'Vws."  —  The  First  Race- 
Course  on  Long  Island.  —  The  First  Vineyard  on  Long  Island.  —  The  First 
Mayor  of  New  York.  —  The  First  Aldermen.  —  John  Lawrence.  —  Nicholas 
Bayard. — Symptoms  of  "War. — Secret  Orders. — War  declared. — Cornelis 
Steenwyck.  — The  Plague  in  London.  — The  Great  Fire  in  London.  —  England's 
Disgrace.  —  Clarendon's  Fall.  —  New  York's  Miseries.  —  Nicolls's  Wisdom.  — 
Witchcraft.  —  The  Manors  of  Gardiner  and  Shelter  Islands.  —  Nicolls  asks 
for  his  Recall. 

IT  lias  been  the  destiny  of  New  York  to  sustain  fiercer  trials  and  to 
gain  a  wider  and  more  varied  experience  than  any  other  American 
State.  The  first  half-century  of  her  existence,  though  not  very  fruitful  in 
achievements,  greatly  surpasses  in  importance  any  other  equal  period, 
from  having  projected  the  impulse  and  prescribed  the  law  of  her  subse- 
quent development.  "When,  in  1664,  she  was  geographically  united  to 
New  England  and  the  Southern  British  colonies,  and  exchanged  a  repub- 
lican sovereignty  for  an  hereditary  king,  she  possessed  the  vital  element 
of  all  her  later  greatness.  The  iiTepressible  forces,  political,  social,  and 
religious,  which  were  sweeping  over  the  chief  nationalities  of  Europe  in 
that  remarkable  century,  were  already  here,  and  pushing  to  unforeseen 
ends.  Eighteen  languages  were  spoken  in  our  infant  capital.  The  arri- 
vals which  followed  increased  without  materially  changing  the  character 
of  the  population.  The  old,  stubborn,  intensely  practical  Dutch  spirit 
was  firmly  planted  in  this  soil ;  English  iufiexibility,  sagacity,  and  invig- 
orating life  had  also  taken  root ;  and  French  industry,  refinement,  and 
vivacity  flourished,  if  possible,  the  most  luxuriantly  of  the  three.     The 


77/ A'    IX' Kh:   OF    YORK.  219 

cliiot'  impulse  of  the  Ilujfuciiot  luovemciit,  wliiiOi  had  Ih'^uii  in  Fniiice, 
both  in  tho  capital  and  in  \\w  rnivcrsity,  Wius  CDeval  with  the  n-vival  of 
letters.  Hence  those  who  lied  into  voluntary  exile  were  },'enerally  of  the 
cultivated  and  wealthy  classes.  They  transplanted  to  New  V'ork  an 
intluence  of  education  and  graceful  accouiplislunents,  and  gave  a  certain 
chivalric  tone  to  the  new  society.  We  have  seen  Dr.  Lji  Montague  closely 
u.s.sociated  in  the  New  Netherlaml  government  for  more  than  a  score  of 
years ;  and  we  find  that  the  public  docununits  of  the  period  were  written 
in  the  French  as  well  as  the  Dutch  language.  Swedes,  Germans,  and 
some  of  other  nationalities  were  here,  but  in  smaller  uumlxjrs.  The 
inhabitants,  drawn  together  from  regions  so  remote,  grew  to  be  one  peo- 
ple :  a  fearless,  thoughtful,  energetic,  constructive  jieople,  politically  alive, 
religiously  free  ;  a  people  which  rejected  hereditary  leaders  and  kept 
those  whom  it  elected  under  careful  limitations.  New  York,  standing 
midway  among  the  sea-coast  colonies,  modified  with  her  broader  views 
the  narrowness  of  her  neighbors,  and,  after  guarding  for  a  century  her 
long  frontier  from  the  attacks  of  Canada,  became  the  pivot  upon  which 
turned  the  most  important  events  of  that  gigantic  Revolution  which  gave 
birth  to  a  nation. 

The  Duke  of  York  was  a  practical  business  man.  He  had  been  told 
that  his  new  territory,  if  well  managed,  would  yield  him  thirty  thousand 
pounds  per  annum.  In  none  of  his  plans  and  arrangements  did  he  dis- 
play more  far-sighted  common-sense  than  in  his  choice  of  a  capable, 
resolute,  and  honest  governor.  Colonel  Nicolls  was  the  son  of  a  lawyer 
of  the  Middle  Temple.  His  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Sir  George 
Bruce.  He  was  splendidly  educated  and  accustomed  to  all  the  refine- 
ments of  the  higher  European  circles.  Warmly  attached  to  the  royal 
cause,  he  had  shared  its  fortunes,  and  spent  much  time,  as  an  exile,  in 
Holland.  He  was  familiar  with  the  Dutch  literature,  and  spoke  the 
Dutch  and  French  languages  as  well  as  he  spoke  his  own.  He  was  about 
forty  years  of  age  ;  a  little  above  the  medium  height ;  of  fine,  stately 
presence,  with  a  fair,  open  face,  a  pleasant,  magnetic  gray  eye,  somewhat 
deei)ly  set,  and  hair  slightly  curled  at  the  ends. 

He  laughed  a  little  at  the  fort,  with  its  feint  of  strength,  and  its  quaint 
double-roofed  church  within,  but  found  the  governor's  house  very  com- 
fortably furnished  and  quite  attractive  for  a  new  country.  The  city 
pleased  him.  Its  promise  was  vague  and  undefined,  but  he  wTote  to 
King  James  that  it  was  undoubtedly  the  best  of  all  bis  towns,  and,  with 
a  little  care,  the  staple  of  America  might  be  drawn  thither  in  spite  of 
Boston. 

His  affability  and  genial  nature  won  the  citizens  from  tbe  start ;  at 


220  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

least  such  as  were  so  fortunate  as  to  come  in  personal  contact  with  him, 
either  officially  or  otherwise.     On  the  day  after  the  surrender,  the 

*^  '  '  burgomasters  and  schepens  met  and  transacted  their  ordinary  busi- 
ness, as  if  nothing  unusual  had  occurred.  They  afterwards  indicated  their 
good-will  to  the  administration  through  a  letter  —  drawn  up'  by  Cornelis 
Steenwyck,  and  signed  by  each  member  of  the  board  —  in  which  appeared 
the  following  passage  :  "  Nicolls  is  a  wise  and  intelligent  governor,  under 
whose  wings  we  hope  to  bloom  and  grow  like  the  cedar  on  Lebanon." 

The  official  counselors  of  Governor  Nicolls  were  Kobert  Needham, 
Thomas  Delavall,  Thomas  Topping,  and  William  Wells.  Matthias 
Nicolls,  a  thoroughbred  English  lawyer,  was  appointed  Secretary  of  the 
province.  All  these  were  from  among  the  new-comers,  except  William 
Wells,  who  had  settled  previously  at  Southold,  Long  Island.  Cornelis 
Van  Euyven,  Stuyvesant's  provincial  Secretary,  was  appointed  collector 
of  the  customs.  He  was  called  into  counsel  on  many  occasions,  and 
rendered  material  aid  to  Nicolls.  One  of  the  schepens,  Johannes  Van 
Brugh,  was  also  invited  to  the  meetings  of  the  council,  and  his  opinions 
were  treated  with  profound  deference.  He  was  a  shipping  merchant,  doing 
a  prosperous  business.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Anetje  Jans.  They 
lived  in  a  stone  house  near  Hanover  Square,  in  front  of  which  several  im- 
mense forest-trees  cast  their  broad  shadows  over  a  handsome  green,  where 
the  Indians  used  to  camp,  during  their  visits  to  the  city,  and  where  mar- 
ket-wagons were  often  left  standing,  while  the  horses  rested  and  grazed 
in  the  cool  shade.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Brugh  were  the  first  of  the  Dutch 
residents  who  gave  a  dinner-party  in  honor  of  the  new  English  governor. 

On  the  Sunday  following  the  surrender,  the  English  Episcopal  service 
was  celebrated  for  the  first  time  in  New  York,  by  the  chaplain  of 
forces.  It  having  been  agreed  in  the  capitulation 
that  the  Dutch  should  enjoy  all  their  religious  liberties  and  retain  their 
own  church  edifice,  it  was  very  cordially  arranged  that  the  services  of  the 
Church  of  England  should  take  place  in  the  same  sanctuary  after  the  close 
of  the  usual  morning  worship.  Meanwhile  the  city  magistrates  provided 
for  the  support  of  Dominies  Megapolensis  and  Drisius,  until  the  gov- 
ernor should  make  further  arrangements. 

Fort  Orange,  and  Esopus,  although  included  in  the  capitulation,  re- 
mained to  be  brought  under  the  Duke's  authority.  As  soon  as  the 
safety  of  the  capital  was  fairly  assured,  Nicolls  dispatched  to  the  former 
point  Colonel  Cartwright  and  his  company,  armed  with  various  orders 
and  instructions.  Colonel  Cartwright  was  a  typical  Englishman,  heavy, 
grave,  often  morose,  overbearing,  of  a  suspicious  temperament,  and  an 
excellent  hater  of  the  Dutch.     The  two  officers  next  in  command  were- 


.i/ji.\.vy.  221 

Caj)tain  John  ]\riitniiii;,MUul  C'aptiiin  Daniel  IJnxlhwul.  Captain  Manninj,' 
liad  fornu'rly  tdnnnandctl  a  tradinj^  vessel  between  New  Haven  ami  New 
York,  Iml  was  now  in  the  military  service.  C'a])tain  JJrodhead,  IVoin  an 
aiiiienl  family  in  Yorkshire,  Knj,dand,  wius  a  zealous  royalist,  in  iii^di 
I'avor  with  the  kin<i;.  He  was  the  eouiniou  ancestor  of  the  IJrodhead 
laniily  in  this  country,  aniou<j;  whom  in  every  generation  have  U^en  men 
of  culture  and  distinction,  —  the  mo-st  widely  known  of  them  all,  jjerhajis, 
heinj;  the  late  John  lionieyu  Brodhead,  the  eminent  scholar  and  historian 
of  New  York. 

Van  liensselaer  was  directed  to  obey  Cartwri,i,dit,  and  also  to  bring  his 
title  papers  respecting  Uensselaerswick  to  Nicolls  for  inspection.  This 
was  subse(iuently  done,  and  a  new  patent  was  issued  to  the  patroon  by 
the  Duke.  Thomas  Willett,  and  Thomas  Breedon,  ex-governor  of  Nova 
Scotia,  accompanied  the  expedition  by  request,  because  they  were  accus- 
tomed to  dealing  with  the  savages,  and  it  was  esteemed  of  the  first  im- 
portance to  secure  the  friendship  which  the  Iroquois  had  cherished 
towards  the  Dutch. 

The  military  officers  were  received  with  courtesy  by  Dr.  La  Montague 
and  the  magistrates  of  the  little  town,  which  was  at  once  named  Albany, 
after  the  Scotch  title  of  the  Duke  of  York.  It  was  found  that  John  De 
Decker,  one  of  Stuyvesant's  counselors  and  a  signer  of  the  articles  of 
capitulation,  had  been  actively  engaged  in  trying  to  infuse  the  sjjirit  of 
resistance  into  the  people  at  the  north,  and  he  was  banished  from  the 
province.  Few  changes  were  made  in  the  civil  government.  The 
Mohawk  and  Seneca  sachems  appeared  and  signed  with  Cart- 
wright  the  first  treaty  between  the  Iroquois  and  the  English  ;  and  Caj)tain 
Manning  was  left  in  command  of  the  fort. 

On  his  return  from  Albany,  Cartwright  landed  at  Esopus,  where  he  was 
warmly  welcomed  by  William  Beekman,  who  was  confirmed  in 
his  authority  as  sheriff.     Thomas  Chambers  was  also  retained  as 
commissary.     The  charge  of  the  garrison  was  committed  to  Captain  Brod- 
head. 

Nicolls  was  quick  to  see  the  advantage  of  influencing  as  many  of  the 
Dutch  families  as  possible  to  remain  in  their  present  homes.  By  the 
articles  of  capitulation  he  had  given  them  liberty  to  sell  their  lands  and 
effects  and  to  remove  to  Holland.  But  he  resolved  to  ask  the  principal 
Dutch  citizens  to  take  the  customary  oath  and  become  British  subjects. 
He  accordingly  sent  for  Ex-Governor  Stuyvesant,  De  Sille,  Van  Euyven, 
Dominies  Megapolensis  and  Drisius,  and  a  few  others,  to  meet  him 
in  the  chamber  of  the  common  council,  where  the  burgomasters  and 
schepens  were  assembled,  and  there  he  addressed  them  on  the  subject, 


222  HISTORY   OF   THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YOIiK. 

explaining  that  this  new  obligation  did  not  involve  any  permanent 
renunciation  of  allegiance  to  the  Dutch  government.  They 
demurred.  Van  Ruyven  argued  that  the  people  had  been  pro- 
nounced "  free  denizens  "  by  the  terms  of  the  surrender,  and  no  provision 
made  for  assuming  a  new  allegiance.  Van  Cortlaudt  feared  such  a  pro- 
ceeding would  render  the  articles  of  capitidation  null  and  void.  After 
much  debate,  the  meeting  declined  taking  the  oath,  unless  Nicolls  should 
add  to  it,  "conformable  to  the  articles  concluded  on  the  surrender  of 
this  place." 

The  subject  was  in  agitation  for  several  days.  Finally,  Nicolls  said  in 
writing,  that  "  the  articles  of  surrender  "  were  "  not  in  the  least  broken,  or 
intended  to  be  broken,  by  any  words  or  expressions  in  the  said 
"  oath."  This  statement  proved  satisfactory,  and,  within  the  subse- 
quent five  days,  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  residents  of  the  city  and 
adjacent  country  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Charles  II.  and  the  Duke 
of  York.  Among  these  was  Stuyvesant  himself ;  also  Van  Ruyven,  Van 
Hrugh,  Van  Cortlandt,  Van  Rensselaer,  Beekman,  and  the  two  Dutch 
Dominies. 

Tonnemau,  the  sherift',  returned  to  Holland,  and  the  city  was  called 

upon  to  elect  his  successor.     The  choice  fell  upon  AUard  Anthony,  who 

was  at   once   confirmed  in  office  by  the   governor.     About  the 

same   time   a   provost-marshal  was    appointed,    to    keep    unruly 

soldiers  from  interfering  with  the  citizens. 

Meanwhile,  Sir  Robert  Carr  had  gone,  with  two  vessels  and  a  large 
armed  force,  to  reduce  the  settlements  on  the  Delaware.  He  found  the 
Swedes  manageable  and  the  Dutch  obstinate.  Superiority  in 
'  numbers,  however,  secured  a  bloodless  victory.  It  was  then  that 
the  royal  knight  began  to  reveal  his  true  character.  He  assumed  au- 
thority independent  of  Nicolls,  and  claimed  to  be  the  sole  disposer  of 
affairs  in  that  region.  He  shipped  the  Dutch  soldiers  to  Virginia,  to  be 
sold  as  slaves.  He  imprisoned  the  commander  Hinnoyssa,  and  api)ropri- 
ated  his  comfortable  house  and  flourishing  farm  to  his  own  use.  He 
gave  the  stone  dwelling,  and  a  large  tract  of  laud  belonging  to  Sheriff 
Van  Sweringen,  to  his  son  Captain  John  Carr.  He  distributed  the 
property  of  the  other  settlers  as  he  saw  fit.  When  an  account  of  his 
liigh-handed  proceedings  reached  the  other  commissioners,  they  were 
astonished  beyond  measure.  They  considered  such  conduct  "  jn-esump- 
tuous  and  disgraceful."  They  peremptorily  required  his  lordship's  return 
to  New  York  to  attend  to  the  furtlier  business  of  the  commission,  and 
when  he  did  not  make  his  appearance,  Cartwright  and  Maverick  deputed 
Nicolls  to  proceed  to  Delaware  Bay  and  appoint  such  civil  and  military 


CONNFA!TlCVT    DIP IA)M M'Y.  223 

olVicei's  tlune  as  liis  best  ju(l;,Miu!iit  diciUited.  He  wius  iic(,()ni|)iinic(l  by 
Counselor  Needhain.  He  luliniiiisteied  u  severe  rebuke  to  Owxx  and 
coiuiK'lled  liini  to  dis^or^c  niucli  ol'  his  ill-gotten  spoil.  He  regulated 
iilliiirs  as  well  as  lie  was  able,  and  ajtijointed  Captain  John  C/'arr  as 
deputy-governor. 

Connecticut  was  all  this  winlc  in  deep  distress.  Tlie  patent  of  the 
king  had  extended  her  territory  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  lUit  here  was 
another  jjatent  of  the  king  to  his  brother,  coniprisiug  every  inch  of  land 
west  of  the  Connecticut  Itiver.  It  was  a  most  extraordinary  coniplica- 
tion. 

As  for  Long  Island,  the  Duke's  patent  expressly  included  it  by  name; 
moreover,  Winthrop,  at  Gravesend,  just  before  the  surrender  of  New 
York,  had  declared  that  the  jurisdiction  formerly  exercised  by  Connecti- 
cut "  ceased  and  became  null."  There  seemed  therefore  to  be  little  room 
for  discussion  in  regard  to  that  region,  and  it  received  the  name  of 
Yorkshire. 

Hut  Hartford  herself  was  included  in  the  Duke's  patent,  to  sjiy  noth- 
ing of  republican  New  Haven,  who  had  held  her  head  so  high,  and 
stoutly  refused  to  bend  to  Connecticut,  because  the  cbiirter  of  the  latter 
had  been  (as  was  affirmed)  surreptitiously  obtained,  "  contrary  to  right- 
eousness, amity,  and  peace."  Alas,  when  the  choice  was  finally  mfide 
between  two  great  evils,  Puritan  dictation  was  judged  to  be  far  bet- 
ter than  foreign  annexation.  The  General  Court  of  Connecticut  held  a 
mournful  meeting  in  October.  "  We  must  try  to  conciliate  those 
royal  commissioners,"  said  Winthrop.  It  was  voted  to  present 
them  with  five  hundred  bushels  of  corn  and  some  fine  horses.  A  com- 
mittee, consisting  of  Governor  Winthroj),  his  sou  Fitz  John,  Matthew 
Allyn,  Nathan  Gold,  and  James  Ilichards,  w-as  a]i]iointed  to  pay  a  visit 
of  congratulation  and  to  make  the  presentation.  They  were  empowered 
to  seize  any  opportunity  which  might  otter,  to  settle  a  boundary  line 
between  the  two  patents. 

They  reached  New  York  late  in  Novemlier,  and  weie  graciously 
received  by  Nicolls,  Cartwright,  and  Maverick.  After  much  preamble, 
the  delicate  and  perplexing  question  was  fairly  brought  under 
discussion.  The  two  patents  were  spread  upon  the  table.  Win- 
throp was  reminded  that,  in  obtaining  the  former,  he  had  promised  to 
svibmit  to  any  alteration  of  boundaries  which  might  be  made  by  the 
king's  connnissioners.  The  authority  of  the  later  patent  could  not  be 
shaken.  The  Connecticut  gentlemen  ])leaded  that  it  should  not  be  en- 
forced to  its  full  extent,  thus  depriving  Connecticut  of  her  "  very  bowels 
and  principal  parts."     To  this  Nicolls  readily  assented,  for  his  own  judg- 


224  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

ment  condemned  a  course  which  would  only  result  in  the  ruin  of  a 
thriving  colony,  and  in  lasting  dishonor  to  the  king.  It  was  therefore 
agreed  that  the  dividing  line  between  Connecticut  and  New  York  should 
run  about  twenty  miles  from  any  part  of  the  Hudson  Paver.  To  define 
the  starting-point  and  the  compass  direction,  the  Connecticut  gentlemen 
inserted  a  clause  in  the  document  by  which  the  line  was  to  be  drawn 
from  where  the  Mamaroneck  Creek  flows  into  the  Sound,  and  north- 
northwest  onward  to  the  Massachusetts  line. 

For  the  moment,  this  settlement  seemed  to  be  satisfactory  to  both 
parties.  New  Haven  submitted  to  Connecticut  and  all  went  well.  But 
Nicolls  and  his  colleagues,  being  unfortimately  ignorant  of  the  geograjihy 
of  the  country,  were  misled  into  the  supposition  that  the  line  had  been 
drawn  twenty  miles,  when  in  reality  it  was  only  about  ten  miles,  distant 
from  the  Hudson.  It  was  an  absurd  error,  which  was  never  ratified  by 
the  Duke  or  the  king,  and  proved  the  source  of  a  long-continued  and 
distracting  controversy. 

While  the  forces  of  the  expedition  against  New  Netherland  were  still 
on  the  Atlantic,  in  June,  James  dismembered  his  American  province  and 
laid  the  foundation  of  another  State.  The  treasurer  of  his  house- 
'  hold  was  Lord  Berkeley,  who  was  also  one  of  the  Admiralty 
Board.  He  was  a  coarse,  bold  man,  arbitrary  and  unscrupulous,  and 
somewhat  incMned  to  Catholicism.  The  treasurer  of  the  Admiralty  was 
Sir  George  Carteret,  who  had  formerly  been  governor  of  the  Channel 
Island  of  Jersey,  where  he  received  and  entertained  Charles,  while 
Prince  of  Wales,  and  at  which  point  he  gallantly  defeated  the  troops 
of  Cromwell.  He  rode  by  the  side  of  the  king,  when  he  entered  Lon- 
don, at  the  Restoration,  and  was  made  chamberlain  of  the  royal  house- 
hold. Berkeley  and  Carteret  were  both  members  of  the  Council  for 
Foreign  Plantations,  and  had  studied  America  with  careful  attention. 
They  expressed  a  desire  to  purchase  of  the  Duke  a  portion  of  his  new 
territory ;  and  he,  wishing  to  please  two  such  devoted  friends,  accepted 
the  small  sum  they  offered,  and  conveyed  to  them  by  deed  the 
"°*  ■  section  now  known  as  New  Jersey,  —  a  name  bestowed  in  com- 
pliment to  Carteret.  James  had  very  little  idea  of  the  magnitude  or 
importance  of  this  sale,  and  made  no  reservation  of  the  right  to  govern. 
Thence  the  purchasers  assumed  absolute  control,  engendering  controver- 
sies which  were  prolonged  for  many  years.  They  published  a  constitu- 
tion for  New  Jersey,  and  appointed  Philip  Carteret,  a  cousin  of  Sir 
George's,  governor  of  the  province. 

Nicolls  knew  nothing  of  all  this  until  the  arrival  of  Governor  Carteret 
off  the  coast  of  Vii'ginia,  when  he  immediately  wrote  to  James,  protest- 


FJJZMiHTIlTOWS. 


225 


iiig  against  a  movement  so  iinexi)cc:tc'd  imd  so  unwisi!.  Of  com-se,  the 
protest  came  too  late.  Carteret  reached  New  York  in  .July,  KXio,  and 
received  from  NicoUs,  according  to  tiie  ordei"s  of  the  Duke  which  he 
brought  with  him,  complete  and  undisputed  possession  of  New  Jersey. 
He  landed  on  Jersey  soil,  at  the  head  of  a  party  of  men,  eaixying 
a  hoe  on  his  shoulder,  to  indicate  his  intention  of  becoming  a  planter 
with  them.  He  chose  for  the  seat  of  government  a  charming  spot  near 
Newark  Bay,  where  four  families  had  already  settled,  an<l  named  it 
Elizabethtown,  in  honor  of  Lady  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Sir  George  Car- 
teret. 

Nicolls  found  serious  work  on  all  sides  of  him.     In  order  to  win  the 
Dutch,  he  coi)ied  or  rather  continued,  with  as  little  alteration  as  possible, 
the  form  of  administration  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed. 
The  burgomasters  and  schepens  of  the  city,  when   their  terms   **«*• 

°  '  -^  Feb.  2. 

of  service  expired,  named  their  successors,  as  formerly.     It  was 
just  twelve  years  to  a  day  since  Stuyvesant  had  conferred  the  powers 
which   they  exercised.     The   new  officers  were   promptly  confirmed  by 

Nicolls,  and  announced 
to  the  public  after  the 
usual  ringing  of  the  bell. 
They  were  Cornelis  Steen- 
wyck  and  Oloff  S.  Van 
Cortlandt,     bur  go  m  a  s- 

Autograph  of  Johannes  De  Peyster.  m-         .i  ^    /,    i 

ters ;  limotheus  Gabry, 
Johannes  Van  Brugh,  Johannes  De  I'eyster,  Jacob  Kip,  and  Jacques 
Cousseau,  schepens ;  and  Allard  Anthony,  sheriff. 

It  is  noticeable  that  among  these  names  are  three  of  Huguenot  origin. 
Johannes  De  Peyster  descended  from  one  ot  the  families  of  the  nobility 
who  were  driv- 
en from  France 
in  1572  by  the 
religious  per- 
secutions o  f 
Charles  IX.  He 
himself  was 
born  in  Holland.  j!f/|  YiiV-^'^x^ ,  il  •    '      ^    '        fTllll'i  'JilH*  nnliT 

He  had  been  in  silverware  of  the  Oe  Peysters. 

New  York  for  sixteen  or  more  years.  He  was  heir  to  considerable 
wealth,  some  of  which  was  invested  in  ships  which  sailed  to  and  from 
Europe  and  the  West  Indies.  He  brought  to  this  country  many  valuable 
articles   of  furniture,  and   a  large  quantity  of  massive  silver.     Several 


226  HISTORY   OF   THE   CITY   OF  NFW   YORK. 

specimens  of  the  latter  are  still  in  possession  of  the  family,  and  are 
esteemed  by  the  curious  as  masterpieces  of  art.  He  filled  important 
positions  in  the  city  government  and  in  the  church,  and  was  held  in 
great  respect.  Nicolls  said  of  him  that  he  could  make  a  better  plat- 
form speech  than  any  other  man  outside  of  Parliament,  only  that  his 
knowledge  of  the  English  tongue  was  defective.  He  was  the  ancestor 
of  the  De  Peyster  family,  which,  from  its  intimate  connection  with  the 
fortunes  of  New  York,  will  occupy  our  attention  in  future  chapters. 

Almost  immediately,  a  controversy  arose  between  the  city  magistrates 
and  the  governor  and  council.  It  having  been  stipulated  that  the  city 
should  provide  quarters  for  such  soldiers  as  could  not  be  lodged  in  the 
fort,  an  attempt  was  made  to  distribute  them  among  the  inhabitants, 
who  were  to  be  paid  for  their  board.  In  many  instances,  they  were 
turned  out  of  respectable  houses  on  account  of  disorderly  conduct,  and 
complaints  arose  on  every  side.  The  citizens  generally  preferred  to  pay 
an  assessment  rather  than  have  any  contact  with  them ;  and  the  matter 
was  finally  arranged  in  this  way,  to  the  satisf^^ction  of  all  concerned.^ 

In  fact,  Nicolls  was  a  provincial  autocrat.  Under  the  Duke's  despotic 
patent,  he  was  the  real  maker  of  the  laws,  and  the  interpreter  of  them 
after  they  were  made.  With  such  tact  and  moderation,  however,  did  he 
exercise  his  delegated  powers,  that  his  subordinates  actually  believed 
themselves  to  be  sharers  in  the  responsibilities  of  legislation.  He  erected 
a  Court  of  Assizes,  consisting  of  the  governor  and  his  council,  which  was 
the  supreme  tribunal  of  the  province.  After  a  time.  Long  Island,  or 
Yorkshire,  was  divided  into  three  districts,  or  ridings.  The  justices  of 
the  peace  appointed  by  the  governor  were  to  hold,  three  times  a  year  in 
each  district,  a  Court  of  Sessions  over  which  the  governor  or  any  coun- 
selor might  preside  ;  and  these  justices,  and  the  high-sheriff  of  each 
district,  were  to  sit  in  the  Court  of  Assizes  once  a  year,  —  the  last  Thurs- 
day in  September.     But  they  had  no  representative  character  whatever. 

The  anomalous  condition  of  New  York  required  special  laws.  Here 
was  a  conquered  province,  which  had  no  charter,  like  the  New  England 
colonies  ;  which  was  not  a  royal  domain,  like  Virginia  ;  which  differed 
materially  from  the  proprietary  of  Maryland  ;  and  whose  Dutch  inhabi- 
tants, having  received  special  privileges  for  the  sake  of  peaceable  posses- 

1  Among  those  assessed  were  Peter  Stuyvesant,  Frederick  Philip,se,  Cornells  Van  Rwyven, ' 
OloflF  S.  Van  Cortlandt,  Paulus  Van  der  Grist,  Johannes  Van  Brugh,  Johannes  De  Peyster, 
Jacob  Kip,  Allard  Anthony,  Eveit  Duyckinck,  Jan  Evei-tsen  Bout,  Johannes  De  Witt,  Hans 
Kiersted,  Jacob  Leisler,  Paulus  Ricliards,  Simon  Jansen  Roineyn,  Isaac  Bedlow,  Augustine 
Heermans,  ^gidius  Luyck,  and  many  others.  Some  were  taxed  four  guilders  per  week, 
some  three,   some  two,  and  some  one. 


y/CO/./.S    A     LAW  MAKEI!.  227 

sioii,  wove  ill  iimny  rcsjtccts  u|inii  a  iK'ttur  fuotiii^'  ihiiii  tlio  kiiij,''H  Kiij^'lish 
suhjccts  upon  I.()ii<i;  Isliiiid,  wliicli  liad  Ikh-ii  Hritisli  U-rritory  Wtl'un:  the 
(iiliiluliilioii.  Nicolls  liad  inoiiiist'd  the  Loii^^- 1  slanders  at  (Iravi-seiid, 
lu'lorc  the  suni'iidiT,  that  tlicy  shduhl  have  a  convention  of  dele<,'iites 
iVoni  their  towns,  to  enact  hiws  and  estiiblish  civil  (jHices.  He  accord- 
ingly i)roce(!dcd,  with  the  helj)  of  his  council,  to  fmine  a  code  which 
should  ultiinatoly  become  the  law  of  the  wliole  province.  He  carefully 
studied  the  laws  in  actual  operation  in  the  several  New  England  colo- 
nies ;  and,  for  that  purpose,  obtained  copies  of  those  of  Massachusetts 
and  New  Haven,  the  latter  of  whi(;h  had  been  printed  in  London  in 
1656.  He  wn-ote  to  Winthrop  for  a  copy  of  the  statutes  of  Connecticut; 
but  they  existed  only  in  manuscript,  and  he  did  not  obtain  a  transcript 
in  time  to  make  use  of  it.  But,  however  much  Nicolls  may  have  Iwr- 
rowed  from  the  e.xperience  and  wisdom  of  his  neighbors,  he  excelled 
them  all  in  liberality  in  matters  of  conscience  and  religion. 

He  called  a  convention  at  Hempstead  on  the  28th  of  February.  It 
consisted  of  thirty-four  delegates,  two  from  each  of  the  Long  Island 
towns,  and  two  from  Westchester.  These  delegates  were  all  noti- 
fied to  bring  with  them  whatever  documents  related  to  the  bound- 
aries of  their  respective  towns,  and  to  invite  the  Indian  sachems,  whose 
presence  might  be  necessary,  to  attend  the  meeting,  as  there  was  impor- 
tant business  to  be  transacted,  aside  from  the  discussion  and  adoption 
of  the  new  code  of  laws.^ 

Nicolls  presided  in  person.  At  the  opening  of  the  exercises,  he  read  the 
Duke's  patent  and  his  own  commission.  He  then  proceeded  to  the  set- 
tlement of  local  boundaries,  and  other  minor  matters.  The  laws  were 
delivered  to  the  delegates  for  inspection.  Scarcely  a  man  among  them 
was  satisfied.     They  had  expected  immunities  at  least  equal  to   those 

'  The  delegates  to  this  convention  were  a.s  follows  :  Jafnues  ('ortelyou  and  Mr.  Fosse, 
from  New  Utrecht  ;  Elbert  Elbertsen  and  Roeloffe  Martense,  from  Flatlands  ;  John  Stryker 
and  Hendrick  Jorassen,  from  Flatlmsh  ;  James  Hubbard  and  John  Bowne,  from  Gravesend  ; 
John  Stealman  and  Onisbert  Tennis,  from  Bu.shwiek  ;  Frederick  Lubbersten  and  John  Evert- 
sen,  from  Brooklyn  ;  Kichard  Betts  and  John  Coe,  from  Newtown  :  Elia.s  Doughty  and 
Kiehard  Cornhill,  fiom  Flushing  ;  Thomas  Benedict  and  Daniel  Denton,  from  Jamaica  ; 
.Tohn  Hicks  and  Robert  .lackson,  from  Hempstead  ;  John  Underhill  and  JIatthias  Hai-vey, 
from  Oyster  Bay  ;  Jonas  Wood  and  John  Ketchum,  from  Huntington  ;  Daniel  Lane  and 
Roger  Barton,  from  Brookhaven  ;  Counselor  William  Wells  and  John  Young,  from  South- 
old  ;  Counselor  Thomas  Topping  and  John  Howell,  from  Southampton  ;  Thomas  Baker  and 
John  Stratton,  from  Easthampton  ;  and  Edward  Jessop  and  John  Quimby,  from  Westches- 
ter. Brodhcad,  II.  68.  Journals  Kew  York  Lcrfixlnlivc  Council ;  Gen.  Ent.,  I.  93-95. 
Wood,  87,  88.  Thompson,  I.  131,  132.  Bol/on,  II.  180.  Dunlap,  II.  App.  XXXVII. 
SmUh,  I.  388.  Hist.  M(u,.,  VIII.  211.  Tnimhull  MSS.,  XX.  74.  Col.  Doc,  II.  251  ;  III. 
86,  88,  114  ;  lA^  1154.     Dred.-!,  II.  1-15,  43,  48,  49.     Chalmers,  I.  577,  578,  598. 


228  HISTORY   OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

enjoyed  under  the  charter  of  Connecticut,  with  which  they  were  perfectly 
familiar.  The  code  prepared  did  not  recognize  the  right  of  the  people  to 
choose  their  own  magistrates  or  to  have  a  voice  in  the  levying  of  taxes. 
Consequently,  they  objected  to  some  of  its  clauses,  and  proposed  others. 
The  discussion  occupied  ten  days.  Several  amendments  were  accepted  by 
Nicolls.  But  when  the  debate  waxed  warm,  it  was  very  promptly  checked 
by  his  emphatic  announcement  that  all  civil  appointments  were  solely  in 
the  hands  of  the  governor,  and  that  whoever  wished  any  larger  share  in  the 
government  must  go  to  the  king  for  it.  The  delegates  were  thus  assured 
that,  instead  of  being  popular  representatives  to  make  laws,  they  were 
merely  agents  to  accept  those  already  made  for  them.  It  was  not  a 
pleasant  medicine,  but  it  was  gracefully  swallowed.  The  code  was 
adopted,  and  was  generally  known  as  "  The  Duke's  Laws."  The  subjects 
were  arranged  in  alphabetical  order,  and,  about  a  century  after,  ha'S'ing 
become  obsolete,  the  document  was  first  printed  as  an  historical  curiosity. 
Among  the  provisions  of  this  code  were  trials  by  jurymen ;  arbitration 
in  small  matters ;  a  local  court  in  each  town,  from  which  there  was  an 
appeal  to  the  Court  of  Sessions  ;  overseers,  and  constables,  and  justices  of 
the  peace ;  assessments,  and  enforcements  of  rates  imposed.  The  tenure 
of  real  estate  was  to  be  from  the  Duke  of  York,  involving  new  patents 
and  a  harvest  of  fees ;  all  conveyances  were  to  be  recorded  in  the  Secretary's 
office,  in  New  York ;  no  purchase  of  the  Indians  was  to  be  valid  unless 
the  original  owner  acknowledged  the  same  before  the  governor ;  no  trad- 
ing with  the  Indians  was  to  be  allowed  without  a  license ;  no  Indian 
might  pow-wow,  or  perform  outward  worship  to  the  Devil,  in  any  town  in 
the  province  ;  negro  slavery  was  recognized,  but  no  Christians  were  to  be 
enslaved  except  those  sentenced  thereto  by  authority;  death  was  the 
punishment  for  denying  the  true  God,  for  murder,  for  treason,  for  kidnap- 
ping, for  the  striking  of  parents,  and  for  some  other  offenses,  —  but  witch- 
craft was  not  included  in  the  list ;  churches  were  to  be  built  in  every 
parish  and  supported,  but  no  one  particular  Protestant  denomination  was 
to  be  favored  above  another ;  no  minister  was  to  officiate  but  such  as  had 
been  regularly  ordained ;  each  minister  was  to  preach  every  Sunday,  on 
the  5th  of  November  (the  anniversary  of  the  gunpowder  treason),  on 
the  3()th  of  January  (the  anniversary  of  the  violent  death  of  Charles  I.), 
on  the  29th  of  May  (the  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Charles  II.  and 
of  the  Kestoration),  to  pray  for  the  king,  queen,  Duke  of  York,  and 
the  royal  family,  to  baptize  children,  and  to  marry  persons  after  legal 
publication ;  no  person  who  professed  Cliristianity  was  to  be  molested, 
fined,  or  imprisoned  for  differing  in  opinion  on  matters  of  religion. 
There  were  numerous  regulations  respecting  the  administration  of  estates, 


TllK   FinsT  RACK-CO  (J  USE   ON  LONG   ISLAND.  22'J 

l)oundaries  of  towns,  births  and  burials,  surj^'oons  and  niidwives,  chihiren 
and  servants,  weights  and  measures,  and  wrecks,  and  whales,  and  sailore, 
and  orphans,  and  hiborers,  and  brewers,  and  pipe-staves,  and  casks,  and 
wolves  ;  and  every  town  was  to  provide  a  ])illory,  a  pair  of"  stocks,  and  a 
pound. 

Nicolls,  with  great  caution,  delayed  llic  cufonienient  of  those  laws  in 
New  York,  Esopus,  Albany,  and  the  valley  of  the  Hudson.  And,  in 
order  to  mollify  the  resentment  of  some  of  the  Long  Island  delegates,  he 
made  several  civil  appointments  upon  the  adjournment  of  the  conven- 
tion. Counselor  William  Wells  was  commissioned  the  first  high-sheriff 
of  Long  Island.  John  rndcrhill,  of  Oyster  Bay,  who  had  been  .so  })romi- 
ueut  hitherto  in  New  Netherland  affairs,  was  made  high-constable  and 
under-sheriff'  of  the  North  district,  or  riding,  and  surveyor-general  of  the 
island.  Daniel  Denton,  John  Hicks,  Jonas  Wood,  and  James  Hubbard 
were  appointed  justices. 

As  an  immediate  result  of  NicoUs's  attendance  u])ou  the  convention,  a 
race-course  was  established  at  Hempstead.  The  ground  selected 
was  sixteen  miles  long  and  four  wide.  It  was  covered  with  fine 
grass,  unmarred  by  stick  or  stone,  and  was  for  many  years  called  "Salisbury 
Plains."  Nicolls  directed  that  a  plate  should  be  run  for,  every  year,  in 
order  to  improve  the  provincial  Dutch,  or  Flemish,  breed  of  horses,  which 
was  better  adapted  to  slow  labor  than  to  fieetness  or  display.  The  race- 
course itself  was  named  "  Newmarket,"  after  the  famous  English  sporting- 
grouuil,  and  was  subsequently  a  favorite  annual  resort  for  the  governors  of 
New  York  and  the  farmers  of  Long  Island. 

Nicolls  was  ready  to  favor  every  important  colonial  enterprise.  There 
had  been  much  talk  about  the  culture  of  gxapes.  Paulus  llichards 
established  a  vineyard  on  Long  Island  for  the  manufacture  of  wine.  As 
he  was  the  first  planter  of  vines,  it  was  cordially  agTeed  by  the  adminis- 
tration that  whoever  during  thirty  years  should  plant  vines  in  any  part 
of  the  province  should  pay  five  shillings  for  each  acre  so  planted  to 
Richards,  in  acknowledgment  of  his  pioneer  operations.  The  produce  of 
his  vines,  if  sold  at  retail  by  any  one  house  in  the  city,  was  to  be  free 
from  impost  for  the  above  period  of  thirty  years,  and,  if  sold  in  gross,  to 
be  free  forever. 

While  Nicolls  was  busily  at  work,  attending  to  his  own  government, 
his  colleagues,  CartMTight,  Maverick,  and  Carr,  were  laboring  with  "  refrac- 
tory "  Massachusetts.  It  had  been  the  object  of  the  king  to  work  such 
alteration  in  the  Puritan  charters  as  would  give  him  the  appointment  of 
their  governors,  and  of  the  connnanders  of  their  militia.  Nothing,  how- 
ever, could  be  accomplished  without  the  presence  of  Nicolls.     He  accord- 


230  HJSTORY   OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW   YORK. 

ingly  made  the  journey  to  Boston.     It  was  of  no  use  :  Massachusetts  was 

on  her  dignity.     Boston  treated  the  overtures  of  the  royal  commissioners 

with  scorn.     "  Our  time  and  hibor  is  all  lost  upon  men  misled 

^  '  by  the  spirit  of  independency,"  said  Nicolls.  He  hurried  back 
to  New  York ;  and  Cartwright,  Maverick,  and  Carr  went  eastward  to 
Maine.  r, 

The  first  care  of  Nicolls,  after  his  return,  was  to  alter  the  city  govern- 
ment, so  as  to  make  it  conform  to  the  customs  of  England.     Wishing  to  V 
do  this  in  the  most  conciliatory  manner,  he  selected  Thomas  Willett  for 
the  first  mayor  of  New  York.     This  gentleman  had  distinguished  himself  I. 
on  the  Albany  expedition,  and  had  so  impressed   Cartwright  that  the  :• 
latter  wrote  to  Nicolls  from  Boston,  "  I  believe  him  a  very  honest  and 
able  gentleman,  and  that  he  will  serve  you  both  for  a  mayor  and  coun-                        *' 
selor."     Willett  was  a  Plymouth  settler,  but  had  been  much  in  New  Neth- 
erland,  had  property  interests  there,  and  for  a  series  of  years  had  had 
constant  business  relations  with  the  Dutch  merchants.     He  was  better 
acquainted  with  the  country,  and  with  the  language,  manners,  and  cus- 
toms of  the  Dutch,  than  any  other  Englishman,  and  was  popular  among                        1 
all  classes. 

On  the  12th  of  June  appeared  the   governor's   proclamation,  which 
declared  that  the  future  government  of  the  city  should  be  admin- 
■  istered  by  persons  to  be  known  by  the  name  and  style  of  Mayor, 
Aldermen,  and  Sheriff.     A  separate  instrument,  under  the  same  date,  or-  . 

dained  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  Manhattan  Island  "are  and  shall  be  ^ 

forever  accounted,  nominated,  and  established  as  one  body  politic  and  * 

corporate."  The  appointments  were  as  follows  :  Thomas  Willett,  mayor  ; 
Thomas  Delavall,  OlofC  S.  Van  Cortlandt,  Johannes  Van  Brugh,  Cornelis 
Van  Kuyven,  and  John  Lawrence,  aldermen  ;  and  AUard  Anthony,  sheriff, 
—  three  Englishmen  and  four  Hollanders. 

They  were  to  be  duly  installed  in  office  on  the  14th  of  June.  When 
Nicolls  entered  the  Council  Chamber,  he  instantly  perceived  that 
'  there  was  nmch  dissatisfaction.  As  soon  as  the  meeting  was 
called  to  order.  Van  Cortlandt  rose,  and,  with  his  silvery  locks  thrown 
back  and  his  eyes  flashing  fire,  stated  distinctly  his  objections  to  the 
new  regulation,  which  violated  the  sixteenth  article  of  the  capitulation. 
Nicolls  replied  elaborately,  showing  how  the  old  officers  had  been  con- 
tinued, and,  in  February,  new  ones  elected  who  had  been  retained  until 
now.  Van  Brugh  sprang  to  his  feet  and  argued  at  length  the  superior 
wisdom  of  the  old  Dutch  system.  Van  Ruyven  followed  him,  and,  in 
great  heat,  opposed  the  principle  of  appointments  by  the  governor. 
Nicolls  was  bland  and  deferential,  but  said  he  was  under  orders  from  the 


Duke  of  York  to  model  the  <(oveniinent  of  New  York  aceonliiij^  to  tliiit 
of  the  cities  of  Kn>,'himi.  At  the  .same  time,  he  paid  tlic  },'eMtlemt'ii  .some 
hiippy  c()iiii)liments  in  re.speet  to  their  reeciit  administration  of  atfairs. 
Tlif  cereuiony  of  swearin<^  in  the  lu-w  maj^istratcs  proceeded  without 
interruption  ;  they  were  duly  iiroclainu'd,  and  slmcik  hands  with  the 
polite  L^overnor  Itel'ore  separating. 

Joliu  Lawrence  was  one  of  three  hrothers  who  settled  on  Lon^'  Island 
in  the  time  of  Charles  I.  He  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Sir  Iiol)ert 
Lawrence  (anciently  spelled  L;iurens),  who  owned  in  England,  duriuj^  the 
reign  of  Henry  VII.,  thirty-four  manors,  the  revenue  of  which  amounted 
to  six  thousand  pounds  sterling  per  annum.  These  brothere,  John,  Wil- 
liam, and  Thoma.s,  brought  considerable  prcjperty  into  the  province,  and 
all  became  extensive  landholders.  John  accumulated  a  fortune  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits.  When  he  was  first  made  an  alderman,  he  had  a  city  as 
well  as  a  country  residence,  and  owned  more  slavi's  than  any  one  on  Man- 
hattan Island. 

The  democratic  theory  which  has  since  been  thoroughly  in.stilleil  into 
the  American  mind,  that  all  men  (and  perhaps  ^\•omen)  are  born  free  and 
equal,  was  then  among  the  marvels  of  the  future.  An  aristocratic  senti- 
ment pervaded  the  little  commuuity,  and  was  predominant  for  more  than 
a  century  after,  which  was  much  the  same  as  in  the  contemporaneous 
cities  of  Europe.  The  line  between  master  and  servant  was  rigidly  drawn. 
There  was  no  transition  state,  through  which  the  latter  might  asj)ire,  by  the 
faA'or  of  fortune,  to  rise  to  the  condition  of  the  former.  And  the  Dutch, 
with  their  great  republican  notions  but  half  develojied,  were,  if  jmssible, 
more  tenacious  in  the  matter  of  social  classification  than  the  English. 

Nicholas  Bayard,  Stuyvesant's  nephew,  was  appointed  secretary  of  the 
common  council,  and  was  required  to  keep  the  records  both  in  Dutch 
and  English.  He  was  a  mere  boy  in  yeai-s  and  personal  appearance  ;  but, 
thanks  to  his  accomplished  mother,  he  had  all  the  flexibility  and  self-pos- 
.session  of  a  veteran.  He  was  industrious,  and  intelligent  in  the  details 
of  finance  and  city  government.  He  wrote  rapidly,  and  his  penmanship 
was  the  pride  of  the  board.  He  had  none  of  the  forwardness  common 
to  youth,  was  courteously  deferent  to  his  elders,  and  remarkably  grave 
and  reticent.  "  He  is  never  in  the  way,  nor  ever  out  of  the  way,"  said 
Willett,  —  a  trait  of  character  which  may  possibly  account  for  his  ex- 
traordinary career  in  after  life.  He  was,  however,  excessively  frivolous 
in  some  of  his  personal  tastes,  and,  when  off  duty,  devoted  himself  to 
dancing,  horse-racing,  and  other  diversions  which  greatly  distressed  his 
worthy  friends. 

The  schools,  so  far  as  they  were  established,  were  allowed  to  continue  ; 


232  HISTORY    OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

but  NicoUs  took  no  steps  to  increase  their  number,  or,  indeed,  to  promote 
education  in  any  form.  It  was  sufficient  for  him,  he  argued,  to  see  that 
the  Christian  ministers  were  supported.  The  Lutherans  he  permitted  to 
build  a  cliurch  of  their  own  and  to  send  to  Europe  for  a  clergyman. 

But  a  storm  was  gathering  across  the  water,  which  was  to  involve 
New  York  in  fresh  difficulties.  When  Charles  II.  and  his  ministei-s 
settled  with  convenient  logic  the  question  of  seizing  and  appropriating  a 
Dutch  province,  it  was  at  the  risk  of  war.  The  States-General  had  no 
suspicion  of  the  treachery  in  progress  until  the  whole  facts  were  revealed. 
De  Witt  sought  an  explanation  from  Downing,  who  replied,  with  stinging 
sarcasm,  that  he  knew  of  no  such  country  as  New  Netherland  except  in 
the  maps ;  the  territory  had  always  belonged  to  the  English !  Charles 
himself  laughed  heartily  when  the  news  reached  him  of  the  complete 
success  of  NicoUs,  and  remarked  to  Sir  George  Carteret,  "  I  shall  have  a 
pleasant  time  with  the  Dutch  ambassador,  when  he  comes." 

The  West  India  Company  raved.  They  applied  to  the  city  of  Am- 
sterdam and  also  to  the  States-General  for  ships  of  war  and  soldiers,  to 
send  at  once  for  the  reconquest  of  the  province  whose  concerns  they  had 
so  fatally  neglected.  But  the  commercial  monopoly  had  lost  caste,  and 
the  popular  cry  was  against  lending  it  any  assistance. 

A  considerable  time  elapsed  before  Van  Gogh  succeeded  in  obtaining  au- 
dience of  the  king.  Charles  put  him  off  with  one  excuse  after  another,  but 
finally  admitted  him  into  his  presence.  Van  Gogh  denounced  the  whole 
proceeding  as  a  vile  deception,  equally  opposed  to  honor  and  to  justice, 
and  as  a  palpable  infraction  of  the  treaty  between  the  English  and  Dutch 
nations.  Charles  haughtily  replied  that  New  Netherland  belonged  to  the 
English,  who  had  merely  allowed  the  Dutch  to  settle  there,  without  con- 
ferring any  authority  upon  the  West  India  Company.  The  next  day. 
Clarendon  wrote  to  Downing  to  tell  De  Witt  that  "the  king  was  no 
more  accountable  to  the  Dutch  government  for  what  he  had  done  in 
America  than  he  would  be  in  case  he  should  think  fit  to  proceed  against 
the  Dutch  who  live  in  the  fens  of  England  or  in  any  other  part  of  his 
dominions." 

De  Witt  did  not  pause  to  demonstrate  the  transparent  absurdity  of  the 
comparison,  but  peremptorily  replied,  "  New  Netherland  must  be  restored." 
It  was  soon  apparent  to  the  Dutch  statesmen,  through  the  insolent  man- 
ner of  Downing,  as  well  as  the  tone  of  Clarendon's  correspondence,  that 
no  redress  from  England  need  be  anticipated.  Secret  orders  were  there- 
fore given  to  De  Euyter,  who  was  with  a  squadron  on  the  coast  of  Africa, 
"  to  reduce  the  English  possessions  in  that  region,  and  inflict  by  way  of 
reprisal  as  much  damage  and  injury  as  possible,  either  at  Barbadoes, 


siu'iu'/r  oiiDERs.  233 

Now  Ncthcrliind,  NewfoiuKllund,  or  otlicr  i.slaiids  or  places  under  Kiif^dish 
obodit'iicc."  l)o\vnin;r  Mecuivd  inroiinutioii  in  i(!;,'ard  to  these  secret 
orders,  tlirou<,di  the  aid  of  skillful  spies,  who  Ujok  keys  from  I)e  Witt's 
pocket  while  he  was  asleep  in  Iwd,  and  (fxtnicted  papers  I'roin  his  (h-sk 
which  were  returned  witiiiii  an  lioiir.'  Me  immediately  communicattnl  the 
lact  to  his  own  <rovernnient.  Letters  of  reprisal  were  at  ouce  issued  u«j[ainst 
the  "  ships,  goods,  and  servants  "  of  the  United  Provinces,  ami,  without 
any  previous  notice,  one  hundred  and  thirty  Dutch  merchant  vessels 
were  seized  in  the  English  ports. 

The  Dutch,  who  lived  by  commerce,  were  no  longer  backwaid  alnait 
Hghting.  Every  city  oHered  men  and  money  to  the  government.  The  East 
India  Ccmipany  suspended  their  herring  and  whale  fisheries,  and  equipped 
twenty  war-vessels.  The  West  India  Company  were  authorized  to  attack, 
coiuiuer,  and  destroy  the  English  everywhere,  both  in  and  out  of  Europe, 
on  laud  and  on  water.  Fourteen  millions  of  guilders  were  voted  for  the 
expenses  of  the  war.  As  De  liuyter  was  yet  in  the  West  Indies,  Was- 
senaar  of  Opdam  was  made  admiral  of  the  fleet,  with  the  younger 
Tromp,  and  other  renowned  commanders,  under  him. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  Charles  issued  a  formal  declaration  of  war 
against  the  United  Provinces.  The  House  of  Commons  at  once  voted 
two  and  one  half  millions  of  pounds  sterling ;  "  a  sum,"  says 
Macaulay,  "exceeding  that  which  had  supported  the  fleets  and 
armies  of  Cromwell,  at  the  time  when  his  power  was  the  teiTor  of  all 
the  world."  The  public  mind  of  England  had  been  for  some  time  grow- 
ing discontented  with  the  maladministration  of  afiairs,  and  the  immo- 
rality and  extravagance  of  the  court ;  but  all  prior  murmurs  were  mild 
compared  with  the  cry  of  indignation  which  now  burst  forth. 

The  Duke  of  York  took  command  of  the  English  fleet,  and  sent  ordera 
to  Nicolls  to  put  his  province  of  New  York  in  a  posture  of  defense 
against  the  Dutch.  Charles  wrote  to  Nicolls  himself,  telling  him  of  De 
Ruyter's  expedition,  and  admonishing  him  to  take  all  possible  care  to 
avoid  a  surprise.  Clarendon  added  his  word  of  warning,  telling  Nicolls 
that  he  must  expect  the  Dutch  to  do  him  every  possible  mischief. 
Nicolls  and  Philip  Carteret  were  appointed  commissioners  in  Admii'alty, 
to  dispose  of  all  Dutch  prizes  in  the  American  harbors. 

In  May,  De  Euyter  was  actually  on  his  way  from  the  West  Indies  to 
Newfoundland.     He  intended  to  visit  New  York,  and,  had  he  done  so, 
its  conquest  would  have  been  easy.     But,  being  short  of  provis- 
ions, he  was  obliged  to  turn  homeward. 

1  Pepris,  II.  186,  192.  Davies,  III.  27,  28.  Bamaqe.,  I  714.  De  Witt,  IV.  413.  Aitzema, 
V.  93,  94.     Col.  Doc,  II.  285-  288.  III.  85.     Pari.  Hist.,  IV.  296-303.     Clarke's  James  11. 


234 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 


As  for  the  inhabitants  of  New  York,  they  feared  De  Ruyter  much  less 
than  they  did  the  privateers  who  were  prowling  about  in  pursuit  of 
plunder.  Nicolls  was  painfully  embarrassed.  He  had  received  no  sup- 
plies whatever  from  England  since  the  surrender.  The  fort  was  weak; 
he  had  no  war- vessels ;  and  the  soldiers  were  in  want  of  the  commonest 
necessaries.  But  he  was  as  loyal  as  he  was  brave.  He  at  once  issued  a 
proclamation  for  the  confiscation  of  the  West  India  Company's  estate, 
which  had  already  been  attached,  and  sent  orders  to  New  England  in 
relation  to  Dutch  prizes  in  their  ports.     He  then  called  a  meeting 

June  28.  -"^  ° 

of  the  citizens,  to  consult  about  fortifying  the  city  on  the  river 

side.     As  on  many  other   important   occasions,  he   presided   in   person. 

His  opening  address  was  a  marvel  of  oratory.     He  assured  the  people 

that  he  should  constrain  no  one 

to  fight  against  his  own  nation. 

In  asking   aid  in  the  matter  of 

defense,  he    agreed    to    furnish 

palisades  and  wampum.    Cornelis 

Steenwyck  responded.     He  was 

a  stanch  republican,  of  the   old 

Belgian  stock,  intelligent  and  lib- 
eral-minded ;   and    he    probably 

exercised  a  more  healthful  influ- 
ence over  the  public  mind  than 

any  other  man  of  his  time.     He 

said  that  he  should  always  be  a 

faithful  subject,  and  would  con- 
tribute according   to  his  means. 

But   he   did    not    see    how   the 

Dutch  residents  could  enlist  on 

the  public  works  until  their  arms 

were  restored  to  them.     One  and  another  arose  with  the  same  objection. 

Some  said  the  town  was  strong  enough  as  it  was.     There  were  many 

otherexcuses. 
No  direct  re- 
sult was  ob- 
tained. It 
was  evident 
to  Nicolls 
thathesliould 

Autograph  of  steenwyck.  ^^        ^^^^       ^^ 

command  very  little  assistance  from  a  community  which  would  welcome 
the  restoration  of  Dutch  authority. 


Portrait  of  Steenwyck. 


OJlri^  .•  Sh!<ivvv?vjefO 


THE    I'L.UIVK    IS    LOXDDN.  236 

Ho  sent  an  elalMimte  statement  of  New  York  alVaii-s  to  the  king  by 
Cai-tvv'ri<,'lit,  who,  c^uite  tliscourayed  with  Iiis  unprofitable  hiboi-»  in  Bos- 
ton, and  in  great  physical  torture  with  the  gout,  sailed  in  .June  for  I/Jii- 
don.  He. was  captured  at  sea  by  a  Dutch  privateer,  who,  having  Uikeu 
away  all  his  i)apers,  landed  him  in  Spain.  "  It  is  for  your  health,  sir," 
said  the  humorous  sea-captain,  as  they  parted  comi)any ;  "the  mild 
southern  climate  always  cures  the  gout." 

Before  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities,  France  had  endeavored  to  recon- 
cile the  diflereuces  l)etween  England  and  the  United  Provinces.  As  the 
war  progressed,  Louis  secretly  sympathized  with  Charles,  while  at  the 
same  time  he  wrote  to  his  minister  at  the  Hague,  that,  from  all  he  could 
learn,  the  rights  of  the  Dutch  were  the  best  founded.  "  It  is  a  species 
of  mockery,"  he  went  on  to  say,  "  to  make  believe  that  those  who  have 
built  and  peopled  a  city,  without  any  one  saying  a  word  to  hinder  them, 
would  have  been  tolerated  as  strangers  in  France  or  in  England ;  and 
habitation,  joined  to  long  possession,  are,  in  my  judgment,  two  suffi- 
ciently good  titles."  At  the  same  time  he  advised  that,  since  New  Neth- 
erlaud  was  already  lost  to  the  Dutch,  it  be  abandoned,  for  the  sake  of 
peace.  De  Witt  declining  any  further  overtures  in  that  direction,  Louis 
made  propositions  once  more  to  Charles  without  avail,  and  then  reluc- 
tantly fulfilled  a  promise  of  long  standing  to  assist  Holland.  He  came 
to  this  decision  on  the  20th  of  January,  1666.  The  next  month,  England 
declared  w-ar  against  France. 

In  the  mean  time,  a  fierce  conflict  had  raged.  On  the  13th  of  June, 
1665,  a  battle  was  fought  off  the  coast  of  Suffolk,  in  which  the  ship  of 
Admiral  Opdam  was  blown  up,  and  the  Duke  of  York  returned 

'■  ^  Jane  13. 

in  triumph  to  London.  An  English  medal  was  struck,  bearing 
the  words  "  Quatuor  maria  vindico  "  —  I  claim  four  seas.  When  the 
news  reached  New  York,  the  English  residents  held  a  grand  jubilee  over 
the  personal  safety  of  the  Duke.  But  the  bonfire  which  celebrated  the 
victory  in  Loudon  glared  over  a  doomed  city.  A  pestilence  broke  out, 
surpassing  in  horror  any  that  had  visited  the  British  Isles  for  three  cen- 
turies. The  a})palled  court  fled  from  Whitehall.  The  great  city  was 
desolated.  Within  five  mouths,  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  lives 
were  suddenly  ended.  The  awful  silence  of  the  streets  was  only  broken 
by  the  nightly  round  of  the  dead-cart. 

Naval  defeat  almost  produced  a  revolution  in  Holland.  The  return  of 
De  Euyter,  however,  again  inspired  confidence.  Other  expeditions  were 
fitted  out.  De  Witt  himself  went  with  the  troops,  and  soon  came  to  a 
perfect  understanding  of  sea  affairs.  In  the  effort  to  get  the  great  clumsy 
vessels  of  the  Dutch  through  the  Zuyder  Zee,  he  went  out  in  a  boat 


236  HISTORY    OF  THE   CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

himself,  sounding  carefully,  and  by  degrees  so  mastering  the  elements, 
that  he  may  be  said  to  have  avenged  in  some  sense  his  former  indigni- 
ties by  keeping  his  ships  at  sea  long  after  the  English  fleet  was  obliged 
to  put  in.  Several  naval  engagements  occurred,  and  some  frigates  were 
disabled  on .  both  sides ;  the  English  were  sullen  and  disappointed,  and 
the  Dutch  encouraged  and  hopeful. 

Thus  departed  the   year  1665.     Parliament  still  voted  supplies  ;  but 
the  English  nation  was  but  a  step  removed  from  anarchy.     Rents  had 
fallen     until    the    income   of   every   landed    proprietor   was    so 
diminished   that  a  wail  of  agricultural  distress   arose  from   all 
the  shires  in  the   kingdom.     The  gentry  paid  their  accumulated  taxes, 
breathing  curses  upon  the   king's  favorites  and  upon  the  ignominious 
war.     Algernon  Sidney  went  to  the  Hague  and  urged  De  Witt  to  invade 
England,  promising  him  aid  ;  a  strong  party  in  that  country  having  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  re-establishing  the  Commonwealth.     This  proposition 
was  declined  by  the  great  statesman.     But,  as  the  spring  advanced,  another 
naval  contest,  occupying  four  days,  took  place  at  the  mouth  of  the 
'  Thames.     Instead  of  the  Duke  of  York,  Prince  Rupert  and  the 
Duke  of  Albermarle  commanded  the  English  fleet.     De  Witt  went  with 
his  generals,  and  the  chain  shot  which  he  is  said  to  have  invented  was 
at  this  time  first  introduced,  and  so  cut  to   pieces   the   rigging  of  the 
English  that  the  Dutch  came  off  victorious.     Before  the  end  of  the  sum- 
mer, the  fleets  engaged   again  to  the  advantage   of  the  English, 
and  De  Witt  swore  that  he  would  never  sheathe  his  sword  until 
he  had  had  his  revenge. 

A  terrible  conflagration  completed  England's  miseries  for  1666.  Five 
sixths  of  the  proud  city  of  London  were  laid  in  ashes.  The  summer  had 
been  the  driest  known  for  years.  The  citizens  who  had  been  driven 
away  by  the  plague  were  returning ;  the  merchants  counted  upon  peace 
before  winter,  and  were  preparing  to  go  to  the  Continental  markets.  On 
the  2d  of  September,  a  fire  broke  out  which  lasted  four  days 
'  and  nights,  and  consumed  every  house,  church,  and  hall  in  ninety 
parishes  between  the  Tower  and  Temple  Bar. 

The  year  1667  opened  gloomily.  Calamity  followed  calamity.  The 
incapacity  of  the  English  statesmen  who  were  in  favor  with  the 
king  became  more  and  more  apparent.  All  schemes  of  an  offen- 
sive war  were  abandoned.  Presently  it  appeared  that  even  a  defensive 
wjir  was  too  much  for  the  administration.  The  ships  became  leaky  and 
the  dock -yards  were  unguarded.  De  Witt  was  promptly  informed,  and 
sent  De  Ruyter  up  the  Thames  to  Chatham,  where  he  burned  all  the  finest 
vessels  in  the  English  navy,  sending  terror  into  every  heart  in  the  realm. 


/■:\(;i..\.\i>'s  ihs<;i;aci-:.  237 

Cliarlcs  WHS  ((iiiiiPincd  to  N't  in,  wlio  saii^'  while  Koinu  wan  burning'.  At 
tliat  very  inoiiiciit,  lir  was  siunuiiitlcd  liy  tlu-  ladies  r)t'  his  wtiirt,  and 
iiiimscd  iiiinsclf  l»y  liimtiiij^'  ii  moth  about  the  suijper-idoiii 

TIr'  Knglish  re<j;ard((d  De  Witt's  success  iu  the  li<,dit  of  a  national  dis- 
grax^e.  Tiu^  States-Geuenil  haughtily  dicUited  the  terms  of  a  treaty  wliidi 
was  sooTi  after  sij^aied  at  Breda.  Singularly  enough,  they  surren- 
dered New  Netherlaud,  the  very  occasion  and  prize  of  this  long  "  ^ 
contention,  for  Poleron,  Surinam,  and  Nova  Scotia.  The  West  India 
Company  sliarcholdei*s  and  the  regents  of  Amsterdam  t(»ok  exceptions  ;  but 
otherwise  there  was  general  satisfaction  iu  the  United  Provinces.  The 
same  day  another  treaty  was  signed  between  France  and  England,  by 
which  Acadia  was  restored  to  Louis.  Bells  raug  in  London,  but  there 
was  little  music  in  them.  No  bonfires  expressed  the  national  joy,  since 
bonfires  were  costly,  and  there  was  no  joy  to  express.  Public  sentiment 
both  in  and  out  of  Parliament  set  stronger  than  ever  against  the  king. 
What  was  New  York,  that  it  should  have  been  accepted  in  exchange  for 
such  profitable  places  as  Poleron,  Surinam,  and  Nova  Scotia  ?  Massa- 
chusetts shared  largely  in  the  same  bitter  feeling.  Popular  indignation 
was  aimed  chiefly  at  Clarendon,  and  Charles  adroitly  shielded  himself 
behind  his  austere  and  faithful  minister.  England  must  have  a  victim  ; 
and  Charles,  who  had  really  grown  weary  of  Clarendon's  imposing  ways, 
deprived  him  of  the  Great  Seal  at  the  very  moment  when  he  was  affixing 
it  to  the  proclamation  of  the  Peace  of  Breda.  "  T  must  assuage  the  anger 
of  Parliament,"  was  his  kingly  excuse. 

Innocent  New  York,  the  cause  of  all  these  disturbances,  was  becoming 
more  interesting  al)road  than  within  her  own  borders.  Improvements  were 
at  a  dead  stand.  Her  merchants  were  hampered  in  all  their  business  oper- 
ations by  sea  and  by  land.  Her  ships  were  seized  by  Dutch  and  French 
privateers  almost  within  sight  of  her  harbor.  Her  trade  was  suspended. 
Nicolls  was  compelled  to  use  his  own  private  means  for  the  public  good. 
There  was  little  direct  intercourse  with  England.  Necessaries  of  all  kinds 
grew  very  scarce.  When,  after  a  long  captivity,  Cart\vright  reached  Lon- 
don, and  explained  the  condition  of  affairs  in  the  colonies,  the  Duke  sent 
to  New  York  two  ships,  laden  with  supplies.  He  WTote  to  Nicolls  a  letter 
full  of  commendation.  The  king  did  the  same,  inclosing  a  present  of 
two  hundred  pounds.  At  the  same  time,  he  ordered  a  strict  guard  kept 
against  the  French  in  Canada. 

This  caution  had  been  anticipated.  And  the  meager  help  came  at  a 
moment  when  Nicolls  was  well-nigh  disheartened  in  his  herculean  efforts 
to  harmonize  the  various  elements  of  discord.  In  the  siunmer  of  1665,  a 
terrible  war  had  broken  out  between  two  tribes  of  Indians  at  the  North. 


238  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

T\A'o  Dutch  farmers  who  lived  out  in  the  clearings  were  killed.  Mayor 
Willett,  of  New  York,  went  to  confer  with  the  Albany  magistrates  on  the 
.subject.  Two  Indians  were  arrested  for  the  murder,  and,  by  order  of  the 
go\'ernor,  one  of  them  was  hanged  and  the  other  sent  in  chains  to  Fort 
James.  A  great  effort  was  then  made  to  secure  peace  between  the  two 
contending  tribes.  Nicolls  went  to  Albany,  where  he  was  met  by  Gov- 
eruor  Winthrop,  of  Connecticut,  and  the  arduous  work  was  accomplished. 
Captain  John  Baker  was  left  in  command  of  Fort  Albany,  with  nine 
cannon,  and  a  garrison  of  sixty  men. 

On  his  return,  Nicolls  visited  Esopus,  where  the  towns-people  and  the 
soldiers  were  in  a  quarrel.  His  presence,  and  his  discreet  counsels,  al- 
layed the  feverish  temper  of  aU  parties.  Brodhead,  as  the  chief  officer  of 
militia,  was  instructed  "  to  keep  constant  guard,  cause  the  village  author- 
ities to  be  respected,  prevent  his  soldiers  from  abusing  the  Indians,  avoid 
harshness  of  words  on  all  occasions,  seek  rather  to  reconcile  differences 
than  to  be  the  head  of  a  party,  and  abstain  from  prejudice  against  the 
Dutch,  who,"  continued  NicoUs,  "  if  well  treated,  are  not  as  malicious  as 
some  will  seek  to  persuade  you  that  they  are."  He  also  executed  an 
important  treaty  with  the  Esopus  Indians,  by  which  he  secured  for  the 
Duke  a  large  tract  of  land  to  the  West,  to  offer  as  an  inducement  to 
planters  who  might  wish  to  settle  in  the  province. 

At  the  Court  of  Assizes,  held  in  New  York  in  September  of  the  same 
year,  the  sachems  of  the  Long  Island  Indians  appeared,  and  agi'eed  to 
submit  to  the  government.  Shortly  after,  David  Gardiner,  in  com- 
pliance with  the  requirement  of  the  code,  brought  to  Nicolls  liis 
grant  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  or  Gardiner's  Island  (which  had  been  originally 
made  to  his  father,  in  1640,  by  the  agent  of  the  Earl  of  Stirling),  and 
received  a  new  patent  of  confirmation.  An  interesting  criminal  case  was 
also  decided  at  this  first  Court  of  Assizes.  Ealph  Hall  and  his  wife  I\Iary 
were  arraigned  by  the  magistrates  of  Brookhaven  for  murder  by  means  of 
witchcraft.  It  was  claimed  that  two  deaths  had  been  caused  by  their 
"  detestable  and  wicked  arts."  Twelve  jurymen,  one  of  whom  was  the 
afterwards  conspicuous  Jacob  Leisler,  rendered  a  verdict  to  the  effect 
that  there  were  suspicious  circumstances  in  regard  to  the  woman,  but 
not  of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant  the  forfeit  of  her  life ;  the  man 
was  acquitted.  The  court  sentenced  Hall  to  give  a  recognizance  for  his 
wife's  appearance  from  sessions  to  sessions,  and  guarantee  the  good 
behavior  of  both  while  they  remained  under  the  government.^ 

The  owners  of  Shelter  Island,  Thomas  Middleton,  and  Constant  and 

^  One  of  the  last  acts  of  Nicolls,  just  before  he  loft  New  York,  was  to  release  Hall  and  his 
wife  from  their  bonds. 


77/ A'  .\fA\(>/:S  OF  (lAhDLXKR  AM)  Sll HLTER  ISLAXDS.    2:\\) 

Niitliauiol  Sylvester,  sodii  I'olltAved  the  exiunjile  of  Cliinliiier,  iind  nhtiiiiied 
eoniinimtion  of  their  titU'.  In  eoiisiileriitioii  of  seventy-five  pounds  of 
beef  iind  seventy-Hve  pounds  of  pork  towards  the  support  of  tlu;  New- 
York  government,  they  were  released  forever  from  taxes  and  military  duty 
A  patent  was  issued  to  the  Sylvesters,  erecting  the  island  into  a  manor 
with  all  the  privileges  l)elonging.* 

The  Long  Island  inhabitants  chafed  under  what  they  styled  "  arbitrary 
power."  They  were  outsj)oken  and  aggressive,  and  gave  Nicolls  more 
trouble  than  all  the  Dutch  popnlation  together.  They  clanun-ed  for  a 
(leneral  Court,  after  the  manner  of  New  England.  In  many  instances, 
(hey  (>i)enly  defied  the  Code  of  Laws.  The  danger  of  rebellion  was  immi- 
nent. The  govei'uor  went  among  them,  but  with  less  success  than  he 
lunl  reason  to  anticipate.  Finally,  adopting  a  vigorous  course,  he  made  it 
an  indictable  ofl'ense  to  reproach  or  defame  any  one  acting  for  the  govern- 
ment, and  arrested,  tried,  and  severely  punished  several  persons.^  He 
then  declared  that  every  land  patent  in  the  province  which  was  not  im- 
mediately renewed  should  be  regarded  as  invalid ;  the  (piitrents  and  fees 
being  actually  necessaiy  for  tlie  support  of  the  government.  In  New 
York,  and  in  the  Dutch  towns,  the  payments  for  new  ])atents  were  made 
easy.  Van  Eensselaer  created  quite  an  excitement  by  claiming  Albany 
as  a  part  of  Rensselaerswick.  Nicolls  wrote  to  him  that  the  question 
must  be  settled  by  the  Duke  of  York,  but  added,  "  Do  not  grasp  at  too 
much  authority  ;  if  you  imagine  there  is  pleasure  in  titles  of  government, 
I  wish  that  I  could  serve  your  appetite,  for  I  have  found  only  trouble." 

The  natural  consequences  of  the  war  were  apparent  on  every  hand. 
There  were  altercations  between  English  and  Dutch  laborers ;  the  officers 
of  the  garrisons  were  not  always  prudent ;  and  the  common  soldiers  were 
given  to  roguery.  On  one  occasion,  three  of  the  New  York  garrison  were 
convicted  of  having  stolen  goods  from  a  gentleman's  cellar,  and  it  was 
determined  that  one  of  them  must  die.     The  fatal  lot  fell  to  Thomas 

1  The  islands  of  Alartha's  Vineyard  and  Nantucket  were  included  by  name  in  the  Duke's 
patent.  An  independent  government  liad  been  exercised  over  them  by  Thomas  Mayhew  and 
his  son,  who  purchased  them  of  Lord  Stirling ;  but,  in  January,  1668,  Nicolls  issued  a  s])ecial 
commission  to  !Mayhew,  thus  settling  the  point  of  jurisdiction  beyond  (juestion.  Fisher's 
Island,  one  of  the  gems  of  the  Sound,  a  few  miles  from  Stonington  —  an  island  nine  miles 
long  and  one  mile  broad  —  had  been  .granted,  in  1640,  by  Massachusetts  to  John  Winthrop, 
but  as  it  was  included  in  the  Duke's  patent,  Winthrop  was  pbliged  to  apply  to  Nicolls  for  a 
confinnation  of  his  title,  and  it  was  erected  into  a  manor,  and  made  independent  of  any 
jurisdiction  whatever.     It  now  foi-ms  a  part  of  Suffolk  County. 

^  Arthur  Smith,  of  Brookhaven,  was  convicted  of  saying  "the  king  was  none  of  his  king, 
and  the  governor  none  of  his  governor,"  ami  sentenced  to  the  stocks.  William  Lawrence,  of 
Flushing,  was  fined  and  compelled  to  make  public  acknowledgment  for  a  similar  remark. 
Court  of  Assizes,  II.  82-94. 


240  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

Weall.  On  the  evening  before  the  day  fixed  for  the  execution,  some  of 
the  women  of  the  city  besought  the  governor  to  spare  the  culprit's  life. 
All  the  privates  in  the  garrison  joined  in  a  petition  to  the  same  effect ; 
and,  yielding  to  the  influence,  Nicolls  di-ew  up  the  soldiers  on  parade  and 
in  a  characteristic  speech  pronounced  pardon. 

A  complication  of  difficulties  between  the  French  and  the  Indians, 
between  the  different  tribes  of  Indians,  and  between  the  Jesuits,  the  , 

Indians,  and   the  New  York  colonists,  to   the  north,  kept   Nicolls  in  y 

continual  anxiety.  He  had  reason  to  apprehend  mischief  from  the 
French ;  the  Mohawks,  witli  all  their  pledges,  were  very  uncertain ;  the 
New  England  colonies  were  not  in  a  condition  to  render  efficient  aid 
in  an  emergency  ;   and  the   prospect  was  as   dismal  as  could  well  be  j' 

imagined. 

Nicolls  was  so  oppressed  with  financial  embarrassments  that  he  wrote 
to  both  the  Duke  and  the  king,  begging  to  be  relieved  from  "  a  govern- 
ment which  kept  him  more  busy  than  any  of  his  former  positions,  and 
had  drawn  from  his  purse  every  dollar  he  possessed."  His  detailed 
account  of  the  condition  of  New  York  affairs  was  most  pitiful.  "  Such 
is  our  strait,"  he  said,  "  that  not  one  soldier  to  this  day  since  I  brought 
them  out  of  England  has  been  in  a  pair  of  sheets,  or  upon  any  sort  of  i 

bed  but  canvas  and  straw."  i." 

A   response   came   tardily.     The    Duke   consented   to   the   return  of  .^' 

Nicolls ;  but  it  was  not  until  after  the  Peace  of  Breda  had  set  his  mind  I 

1668.    at  rest  concerning  the  immediate  possibility  of  losing  his  prov-  * 

Jan.  1.    ince.     The  news  of  the  treaty  came  with  the  same  ship  which  ' 

brought  the  recall  of  the  weary  governor.  Peace  was  a  charmed  word 
in  Dutch  as  well  as  English  ears ;  politics,  feuds,  and  bickerings  were 
forgotten,  in  the  universal  gladness ;  vague,  wearing,  corroding  apprehen- 
sion was  succeeded  by  intense  relief;  business  might  again  be  resumed. 

Presently  came  the  official  announcement  of  Nicolls's  intended  depart- 
ure, and  there  was  universal  sorrow.  He  had  made  himself  exceedingly 
popular.  The  leading  Dutch  residents  were,  if  possible,  more  attached  to 
him  than  his  English  colleagues ;  but  all  were  united  in  one  deep  feeling 
of  regret  that  he  must  leave  the  country. 


COUtSKI.    FHASCIS    r.OVHLACK  241 


CHAPTER    XIV, 


COLONEL    FRANCIS   LOVELACE. 

Colonel  Francis  Lovj;lace. — Nicolls  and  Lovelace.  —  Cornelis  Steenwtck's  House. 
—  The  City  Livery.  —  Nicholas  Bayard.  —  Fever  and  Ague  in  New  York. — 
The  End  of  Commercial  Intercourse  with  Holland.  —  Louis  XIV.  France.  — 
The  Tku>le  Alliance. —Social  Visitinu  in  New  York  in  1669.  —  A  Prosperous 
Era. —The  Dutch  Reformed  Church.  —  The  Sabbath  in  New  York  two  hun- 
dred Years  ago. —  Dress  of  the  Period. — The  Lutheran  Minister.  —  Witch- 
craft.—The  First  Exchange.  —  Rebellion  on  Long  Island. —The  Purchase 
OF  Staten  Island.  —  Charles  II.  and  Louis  XIV. —The  Prince  of  Orange. — 
Assassination  of  the  De  Witts. —War  between  England  and  Holland.— 
Fierce  Battles  in  Europe. —The  Death  of  Colonel  Nicolls. —The  First 
Post  between  New  York  and  Boston.  —  Lovelace  in  Hartford.  —  The  Dutch 
Squadron  in  New  York  Bay.  —  Capture  of  New  York  by  the  Dutch.  —  New 
Orange. 

COLONEL  FEANCIS  LOVELACE  was  appointed  to  succeed  Nicolls. 
He  was  the  son  of  Baron  Richard  Lovelace  of  Hurley.  The  ances- 
tral home  of  the  family  was  some  thirty  miles  from  London,  on  the 
Berkshire  side  of  the  Thames ;  a  great  imposing  country  mansion,  which 
was  standing  until  recently,  with  spacious  grounds  and  teiTaced 
gardens,  covering  the  site  of  the  ancient  Benedictine  monastery, 
from  which  it  was  named  "  Lady  Place." 

Colonel  Lovelace  was  one  of  the  gentlemen  of  that  focus  of  politi- 
cal intrigue  and  fashionable  gayety  the  Court  of  Charles  IL  He  had 
been  one  of  the  supporters  of  the  royal  cause,  —  zealous,  even  to  the 
point  of  incurring  imprisonment  in  the  tower  by  Cromwell,  on  a  charge 
of  high  treason.  This  only  increased  his  favor  with  the  king  at  the 
Restoration,  and  he  was  made  one  of  the  knights  of  the  "  Royal  Oak," 
an  order  instituted  as  a  reward  for  the  faithful.  He  was  a  handsome, 
agreeable,  polished  man  of  the  world,  —  upright,  generous,  and  amiable. 
But  he  lacked  energy,  and  that  discrimination  which  the  successful  con- 
duct of  government  requires  at  every  step.     He  had  a  fine  perception 

16 


242  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW   YORK. 

of  probabilities,  and  a  profound  conviction  of  the  future  destiny  of  New 
York.  At  the  same  time,  he  was  of  the  narrow  type  of  mind,  inclined 
to  move  along  a  single  line  of  thought,  like  a  railway  in  its  grooves, 
and  he  possessed  very  little  of  that  subtle  sagacity  which  brings  conflict- 
ing elements  into  one  harmonious  whole. 

He  had  visited  Long  Island  in  1850,  under  a  pass  from  Cromwell's 
Council  of  State,  and  had  gone  thence  to  Virginia.  But  his  knowledge 
of  America  was  limited,  and  when  he  reached  New  York,  in  the  spring  of 
1668,  he  was  without  any  valuable  preparation  for  the  work  before  him. 
The  Duke  wrote,  requesting  Nicolls  to  remain  a  few  months  longer, 
that  Lovelace  might  have  an  opportunity  to  study  affairs.  The  first 
time  the  latter  presided  in  the  Admiralty  Court,  Nicolls  sat  by  his  side. 
The  two  governors  journeyed  together  to  various  parts  of  the  province. 
They  spent  one  week  in  Albany,  were  feted  by  Van  Eensselaer  at  his 
manor-house,  and  smoked  the  pipe  of  peace  with  the  Mohawk  sachems. 
On  their  return,  they  stopped  two  days  in  Esopus,  and  were  the  guests 
of  William  Beekman.  They  looked  into  military  and  other  matters,  and 
visiting  Thomas  Chambers  at  his  manor,  "passed  an  evening  there  of 
great  hilarity."  They  traveled  over  Long  Island  on  horseback,  stopping 
at  all  the  principal  towns.  They  went  to  Hartford,  and  were  entertained 
by  Governor  Winthrop  in  his  most  hospitable  and  courtly  style ;  and 
they  spent  one  day  with  the  dignitaries  of  New  Haven. 

As  the  time  drew  near  for  NicoUs's  departure,  the  most  sincere  sorrow 
was  manifested  on  all  sides.  He  who  had  come  among  the  people  as  a 
conqueror  was  regarded  as  a  loyal  and  trustworthy  friend.  He  had  ruled 
with  such  discretion  and  moderation,  that  even  they  who  had  disliked 
his  orders  had  come  to  love  the  man  that  had  taken  so  much  pains  to 
avoid  the  unnecessary  wounding  of  their  prejudices.  Maverick  wrote  to 
Lord  Arlington,  "  he  has  kept  persons  of  different  judgements  and  of 
diverse  nations  in  peace  and  quietness  during  a  time  when  a  great  part 
of  the  world  was  in  wars ;  and  as  to  the  Indians,  they  were  never 
brought  into  such  peacable  posture  and  faire  correspondence  as  they 
now  are."  Every  one  delighted  in  doing  him  honor.  The  city  corpora- 
tion gave  him  a  notable  dinner,  the  scene  of  which  was  the  great  square 
stone  house  of  Cornelis  Steenwyck,  the  mayor,  on  the  corner  of  White- 
hall and  Bridge  Streets.  A  slight  glimpse  of  the  inside  of  this  antique 
dwelling  may  be  obtained  from  the  inventory  of  its  furniture,  found 
among  the  old  records,  one  fragment  of  which  is  as  follows :  "  Handsome 
carpets,  marble  tables,  velvet  chairs  with  fine  silver  lace,  Russia  leather 
chairs,  French  nutwood  book-case.  Alabaster  images,  tall  clock,  flowered 
tabby  chimney-cloth,  tapestry  work  for  cushions,  muslin  curtains  in  front 


THE  CITY  li\i:i;y 


243 


the 


]>iiil()r  and  flowered  tal)l)V  cuil 
did  Antwerp  masters,  etc." 
The  Icadinj,'  t'aniilies  ii 
guests  ou  this  iiiejucnahhi 
occasiou.  Lovehice  wrote 
in  a  private  letter  to  the 
king,  "  I  find  some  of  these 
people  have  the  breeding 
of  courts,  and  I  cannot 
conceive  how  such  is  ac- 
quired." On  the  28th  of 
August,  Nicolls  took  his 
final  farewell,  escorted  to 
the  vessel  in  which  he  was 
to  embark  for  Europe  by 
the  largest  procession  ol 


jirov 


111,  eleven  ]iaintings  by 
'presented    among   the 


Steenwyck't  House. 


the  military  and  citizens  which  had  as  yet  been  seen  on  Manhattan  Lsland. 

Cornelis  Steeiiwyck  occupied  the  nuiyor's  chair  three  years.  It  was 
during  this  period  that  Thomas  Delavall  was  sent  to  England  by  Love- 
lace on  matters  of  business,  and,  upon  his  return,  brought  from  the 
Duke  of  York  a  present  of  seven  gowns  for  the  aldermen,  to  be  worn 
upon  state  occasions,  and  a  silver  mace  to  be  carried  by  a  mace-bearer, 
at  the  head  of  the  procession  of  city  magistrates ;  also,  an  English  seal 
fgr  the  province  of  New  York.  A  city  livery  was  from  that  time  worn 
by  beadles  and  other  subordinate  officers,  the  colors  being  blue  tipped 
with  orange.  Steenwyck  was  one  of  the  governor's  counselors,  and  at 
one  time  was  appointed  governor  pro  tern.,  during  the  temporary  absence 
of  Lovelace.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  character,  and  filled  his  various 
public  positions  with  dignity  and  honor. 

Lovelace  made  no  attempt  to  disturb  the  policy  by  ■which  Nicolls  had 
administered  the  government  to  such  general  satisfaction.  Among  his 
counselors  at  various  dates  were,  besides  Steenwyck,  Thomas  Willett  and 
Thomas  Delavall,  former  mayors  of  the  city ;  Ealph  "Wliitfield,  Isaac 
Bedlow,  Francis  Boone,  and  Cornelis  Van  Euyven,  aldermen  ;  Captain 
John  Manning,  the  city  sheriff;  Matthias  Nicolls,  the  provincial  secre- 
tary ;  and  Dudley  Lovelace  and  Thomas  Lovelace,  the  governor's  younger 
brothers.  But  he  found  his  field  of  labor  hedged  in  by  many  thorns. 
Conflicting  claims  about  lands  stirred  up  quarrels  in  every  part  of  the 
province.  He  had  no  sooner  quelled  one  than  another  broke  out.  The 
difficulties  of  the  situation  were  greatly  aggravated  by  the  absence  of 
any  uniform  nationality.     Some  of  the  habits  and  customs  were  Dutch, 


244  HISTORY   OF  THE   CITY'  OF  XEW   YORK. 

some  French,  some  English,  some  Christian,  and  some  heathen.  The 
lower  classes  were  intemperate,  unruly,  and  sometimes  shockingly 
profane ;  and  the  more  respectable  and  religious  inhabitants  were  con- 
stantly entering  complaints  against  them.  Extremes  of  evil  and  good 
were  singularly  linked  together,  and  the  barbarous  punishments  which 
English  usage  warranted  seemed  the  only  safeguard  against  anarchy. 

Nicholas  Bayard,  who  had  developed  a  remarkable  talent  for  mathe- 
matics, was  appointed  surveyor  of  the  province.  He  was  noted,  besides, 
for  his  varied  attainments  and  for  a  ready  wit,  which  enabled  him  to  ren- 
der important  service  to  Lovelace,  whom  he  usually  accompanied  when 
the  governor  was  compelled  to  make  personal  investigations  into  the 
boundaries  of  farms  and  manors. 

One  of  the  gxeat  wants  which  sorely  oppressed  Lovelace  was  that  of  a 
printing-press.  He  sent  to  Cambridge  for  a  printer,  but  could  not  obtain 
one.  There  was  no  restriction  in  this  respect  on  the  part  of  the  Duke  of 
York,  as  has  generally  been  supposed.  It  was  not  until  1686  that  James, 
as  king  of  England,  restrained  the  liberty  of  printing  in  New  York. 
The  immediate  cause  of  Lovelace's  enlightened  effort  was  the  desire  to 
publish  a  catechism,  which,  together  with  a  few  chapters  of  the  Bible, 
the  Rev.  Thomas  James,  the  first  minister  of  Easthampton,  had  trans- 
lated, under  the  auspices  of  NicoUs,  for  the  use  of  the  Indians.^ 

Fever  and  ague  prevailed  in  the  city  to  such  an  extent  during  the 
autumn  of  this  year,  that  it  was  regarded  as  a  serious  epidemic, 
'  and  the  governor  proclaimed  the  21st  of  November  as  a  day  of 
fasting,  humiliation,  and  prayer  on  this  account. 

New  Jersey,  which  under  the  rule  of  Philip  Carteret  had  now  attained 
the  age  of  three  years,  was  a  constant  source  of  annoyance  to  New  York. 
Nieolls,  when  he  reached  London,  explained  to  the  Duke  that  his  gi'aut 
to  Berkeley  and  Carteret  had  not  only  deprived  him  of  a  vast  tract  of  his 
very  best  land,  but  ceded  away  some  promising  Dutch  villages  within 
three  or  four  miles  of  the  metropolis.  About  the  same  time,  Maverick 
wrote  to  the  Duke  in  a  mournful  strain,  deprecating  the  worthlessness  of 
the  greater  portion  of  that  part  of  the  patent  which  he  still  retained. 
He  said, "  Long  Island  is  very  poor  and  inconsiderable,  and,  besides  the 
city  of  New  York,  there  are  but  two  Dutch  towns  of  any  importance, 
Esopus  and  Albany.  I  suppose  it  was  not  thought  that  Lord  Berkeley 
would  come  so  near,  nor  the  inconvenience  of  his  doing  so  considered." 
The  Duke  grew  uneasy,  and  attempted  to  negotiate  an  exchange  with 

1  Brodhead,  II.  145.  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.,  XXXVII.  485.  Thomas's  History  of  Printing, 
I.  275  ;  II.  90,  286.  JJunlap,  I.  126.  Thompson,  I.  317.  JFood,  41.  Col.  Doc,  Ili.  216  -  219, 
331  -  334,  375. 


KM)   OF  <'<)MMi:i;(IAL   I  XTHliCor  I^SE    WITH   lloLLAXn.      24') 

Berkeley  aiul  Ciirtcict  lor  sonu'  lands  on  (lie  hclawan; ;  Itiit  the  airaiiye- 
inenl  fell  thnm^Mi,  <)\vin<;  uiuli)ul)tctll\  Id  Lord  iJalliniore's  claim  to  tljc 
west  side  ot"  the  Delaware.  Staten  Islaml,  however,  was  "  adjudged  to 
belong  to  New  York." 

Meanwhile  the  Lords  of  Trade  coniphiined  that  the  Knglish  merchants 
were  jealous  concerning  the  business  that  was  lost  to  them  l)y  the  continu- 
ance of  the  old  commercial  intercoui-se  between  New  York  and  Holland. 
They  claimeil  that  it  was  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the  Navigation  Act, 
and  that  the  sixth  and  seventh  articles  of  the  capitulation  had  reference 
only  to  the  first  si.v  months  alter  the  surrender.  The  king's  promi.se  to 
Stuyvesaut  had  induced  Van  Cortlandt,  Cousseau,  and  s(«ne  othei-s  to 
unite  in  ordering  one  large  shij)  from  Holland  to  New  Y'ork.  Another 
was  upon  the  eve  of  sailing,  when  Sir  William  Temple,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded Downing  as  minister  to  the  Hague,  was  directed  to  notify  inter- 
ested parties  that  all  passes  granted  under  the  order  of  23d  October, 
1G67,  viz.  that  "three  Dutch  ships  "  might  "freely  trade  with  New  Y'ork 
for  the  space  of  seven  years,"  were  henceforth  recalled  and  annulled. 
WTieu  Nicolls  heard  of  this  order,  he  hastened  to  Whitehall  and,  in 
a  personal  interview  with  the  king,  obtained  permission  for  the 
Aessel  just  prepared  to  make  one  voyage.  Shortly  after,  private 
letters  from  New  York  so  plainly  revealed  the  grievous  disappointment 
of  some  of  the  merchants,  who,  relying  upon  the  pledge  of  Charles, 
had  invested  heavily,  that  this  able  and  justice-loving  ex-governor  set 
himself  energetically  at  work  and  with  mucli  difficulty  ol)tained  i669. 
an  order  in  council  for  the  sailing  of  one  more  merchant  vessel  feb.  24. 
from  Holland  to  New  Y'ork.  This  was  announced  as  positively  the  last 
Dutch  ship  which  should  ever  "  come  on  that  account "  to  Manhattan. 

The  English  statesmen  had  long  been  watching  with  dismay  the  steady 
growth  of  France.  The  pei"sonal  qualities  of  the  French  king  added 
greatly  to  the  power  and  importance  of  that  reahii.  No  sovereign  e\'er 
sat  upon  a  throne  with  more  dignity  and  grace.  He  was  his  own  prime 
minister,  and  performed  the  duties  of  that  office  with  wisdom  and  firm- 
ness the  more  remarkable  from  the  fact  that  from  his  cradle  he  had  been 
surrounded  with  faw^ning  flatterers.  He  was  as  unprincipled  as  Charles 
II.,  but  by  no  means  as  indolent.  He  was  a  Eoman  Catholic,  but  it  was 
not  until  a  later  date  that,  through  austere  devotion,  he  gave  his  court 
the  aspect  of  a  monastery.  His  transactions  with  foreign  powei-s  were 
characterized  by  some  generosity,  but  no  justice.  His  territory  was  large, 
compact,  fertile,  well  placed  both  for  attack  and  defense,  situated  in  a 
good  climate,  and  inhabited  by  a  brave,  active,  and  ingenious  peoi^le,  who 
were  implicitly  subservient  to  the  control  of  a  single  mind.     His  revenues 


246  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

far  exceeded  those  of  any  other  potentate.  His  army  was  excellently 
disciplined,  and  commanded  by  the  most  noted  of  living  generals.  France 
Avas,  just  then,  beyond  all  doubt,  the  greatest  power  in  Europe  and  stood 
like  a  perpetual  menace  to  the  rest  of  the  world.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  the  Empire  of  Russia,  now  so  powerful,  was  then  as  entirely  out  of 
the  system  of  European  politics  as  Abyssinia  or  Siam  ;  that  the  house  of 
Brandenburg  was  then  hardly  more  important  than  the  house  of  Saxony ; 
and  that  the  Republic  of  the  United  States  had  not  even  begun  to  exist. 

Spain  had  been,  for  many  years,  on  the  decline  ;  and  France,  pressing 
upon  her,  was  in  the  full  career  of  conquest.  The  United  Provinces, 
prosperous  and  rich  as  they  then  were,  saw  with  anxiety  that  they  were 
no  match  for  the  power  of  so  great,  ambitious,  and  unscrupulous  a 
monarch  as  Louis  XIV.,  should  he  choose  to  extend  his  frontiers.  Little 
help  could  be  expected  from  England  in  such  an  emergency,  since  her 
policy  had  been  devoid  of  wisdom  and  spirit  from  the  time  of  the  Resto- 
ration.    It  was  not  easy  to  devise  an  expedient  to  avert  the  danger. 

Two  nations  were  suddenly  amazed  and  delighted.  Sir  William  Tem- 
ple, one  of  the  most  expert  diplomatists,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  pleas- 
ing writers,  of  the  age,  had  been,  for  some  time,  representing  to  Charles, 
that  it  was  both  advisable  and  practicable  to  enter  into  engagements  with 
the  States-General,  for  the  purpose  of  checking  the  progress  of  France. 
For  a  time  his  suggestions  had  been  slighted ;  but  the  increasing  ill-humor 
of  Parliament  induced  the  king  to  try  a  temporary  expedient  for  quieting 
discontent  which  might  become  serious.  Hence  Sir  William  was  com- 
missioned to  negotiate  an  alliance  with  the  Dutch  Republic.  He  soon 
came  to  an  understanding  with  John  De  Witt.  Sweden,  which,  small  as 
were  her  resources,  had  been  raised  by  the  genius  of  Gustavus  Adolphus 
to  a  high  rank  among  European  powers,  was  induced  to  join  with  Eng- 
land and  the  States  ;  and  thus  was  formed  the  famous  coalition  known 
as  the  "  Triple  Alliance."  Louis  was  angry ;  but  he  did  not  think  it 
politic  to  draw  upon  himself  the  hostility  of  such  a  confederacy,  in 
addition  to  that  of  Spain.  He  consented,  therefore,  to  relinquish  a  large 
portion  of  the  territory  which  his  armies  had  occupied,  and  to  treat  with 
Spain  on  reasonable  terms.  Peace  was  restored  to  Europe,  and  the  Eng- 
lish government,  lately  an  object  of  general  contempt,  was  restored  to  the 
respect  of  its  neighbors.  The  English  people  were  specially  gratified  at 
this,  for  the  nation  was  now  leagued  with  a  republican  government  that 
was  Presbyterian  in  religion,  against  an  arbitraiy  prince  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  "  It  was  the  masterpiece  of  King  Charles's  life,"  said 
Burnet,  "  and,  if  he  had  stuck  to  it,  it  would  have  been  both  the  strength 
and  glory  of  his  reign." 


■szrsr: 


.1  riiosrEiiors  av.m   /.\'  .\i:\v  youk 


17 


The  news  produccil  iuteiise  satistiiction  in  New  York.  Tlie  Knglisli 
ami  the  Dutch  iuhuhitants  hecunie  Ijctter  friends  than  ever.  There  was 
niiu'h  social  visitinj;  iluriug  the  winter  ol'  l(3GS-6*.).  Tlie  lonnal  enter- 
tainnients  were  not  more  than  five  or  six  in  niinil»er,  l)iit  a  chil)  was  estalt- 
lislieil,  coniprisinj,'  the  more  notable  of  ihc  Dutch,  English,  and  French 
families,  who  met  twice  a  week,  at  out!  aiiolheV's  houses  in  rotation, 
coming  together  about  six  in  the  evening  and  separating  at  nine  o'clock. 
Tlie  refreshments  were  simjdc,  consisting  chiefly  of  wines  and  brandies, 
—  "  not  compounded  and  adulterated 
as  in  England,"  wrote  Maverick, — 
and  they  were  always  served  in 
a  silver  tankard.  These  gatherings 
were  productive  of  gi-eat  good  feel- 
ing. Lovelace  was  generally  present 
and  rendered  himself  exceedingl\ 
agreeable.  To  those  who  would  shart 
in  any  considerable  degree  the  advan- 
tages of  this  coterie,  familiarity  witli 
three  languages  —  English,  Dutch, 
and  French  —  was  almost  indispen- 
sable. Indeed,  education  was  held 
in  such  high  esteem,  that  the  difficul- 
ties of  obtaining  it  were  overcome  by 
the  employment  of  private  tutors  in 
all  the  wealtliy  families. 

The  earliest  poet  in  New  York  was  Jacob  Steendam.  A  poem  which 
appeared  in  1659,"  The  Complaint  of  New  Amderdain  to  her  Mother"  was 
from  his  pen  ;  also  "  The  Praise  of  Neio  Netherland"  which  was  published 
in  a  small  quarto  form  in  1661.  He  wrote  a  variety  of  verse,  some  of 
which  was  distinguished  by  great  elegance.  He  indulged  in  quaint  con- 
ceits and  rhymes,  and  evinced  oftentimes  a  strong  religious  feeling.  The 
action  of  his  poems  was  usually  taken  from  the  Scriptures  or  classical 
mj-thology.  A  few  fragments  of  poetry  from  the  pen  of  Hon.  Nicasius 
De  Sille  have  been  handed  down  to  us  from  the  same  remote  period  ;  and 
a  little  volume  of  poems  written  at  a  later  date  by  Dominie  Selyns  is 
the  key  to  a  treasure  of  genius  and  culture. 

A  prosperous  era  was  dawning  upon  New  York.  Several  Bostonians 
removed  thither  and  invested  largely  in  real  estate.  One  man  bought 
five  houses,  which  had  just  been  erected  on  Broadway.  Business  of  all 
kinds  increased.  Nine  or  ten  vessels  were  in  port  at  one  time,  with 
cargoes  of  tobacco  from  Virginia.     Large  quantities  of  wheat  were  shipped 


Portrait  of  Steenda 


248  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

to  Boston.  A  fisMng  bank  was  discovered  two  or  three  leagues  from 
Sandy  Hook,  on  which,  in  a  few  hours,  some  twelve  hundred  "  excellent 
good  cod  "  were  taken.  More  than  twenty  whales  were  caught  during 
the  spring  at  the  east  end  of  Long  Island,  and  several  in  New  York 
Bay.  Lovelace,  co-operating  with  some  of  the  merchants,  built  a  strong 
and  handsome  vessel  called  the  "  Good  Fame,"  which  was  sent  to  Virginia 
and  subsequently  to  England.  A  smaller  and  less  costly  ship  was 
launched  about  the  same  time  at  Gravesend.  Some  gentlemen,  who 
arrived  at  this  time  from  Bermuda  and  Barbadoes,  were  so  much  pleased 
with  the  prospect,  that  they  bought  houses  and  plantations.  NicoUs  ob- 
tained from  the  Duke  of  York  the  gift  of  a  snug  house  on  Broadway  for 
Maverick,  who  complained  that  he  had  never  received  the  value  of  a 
sixpence  (one  horse  excepted)  for  his  services  to  the  government. 

Daniel  Denton  describes  New  York  at  that  date  as  "  built  mostly  of 
brick  and  stone,  and  covered  with  red  and  black  tile  ;  and  the  land 
being  high,  it  gives  at  a  distance  a  pleasing  aspect  to  beholders."  The 
king's  cosmogvapher,  John  Ogilby,  more  elaborately  pictures  it,  as  "  placed 
upon  the  neck  of  the  island  looking  toward  the  sea  " ;  and  as  "  com- 
pact and  oval,  with  fair  streets  and  several  good  houses ;  —  the  rest  are 
built  much  after  the  manner  of  Holland,  to  the  number  of  about  four 
hundred  ;  upon  one  side  of  the  town  is  James'-fort,  capable  to  lodge 
three  hundred  soldiers  ;  it  hath  forty  pieces  of  cannon  mounted ;  it  is 
always  furnished  with  arms  and  ammunition  against  accidents,  and  is 
well  accommodated  with  a  spring  of  fresh  water ;  the  church  rises  from 
the  fort  with  a  lofty  double  roof  between  which  a  square  tower  looms  up  : 
on  one  side  of  the  church  is  the  prison  and  on  the  other  side  the  govern- 
or's house  ;  at  the  water-side  stand  the  gallows  and  the  whipping-post." 

A  glowing  tribute  was  paid  to  Hell  Gate,  which  was  represented  as 
sending  forth  such  a  hideous  roaring  as  to  deter  any  stranger  from 
attempting  to  pass  it  without  a  pilot,  and  was  therefore  an  absolute 
defense  against  any  hostile  approach  from  that  direction.  Governor's 
Island  had  been  beautified  and  rendered  attractive  through  the  making 
of  a  garden  and  the  planting  of  fruit  trees.  Long  Island,  although  so 
recently  pronounced  by  Maverick  "  poor  and  inconsiderable,"  was  de- 
scribed by  Denton,  whose  home  was  in  Jamaica,  as  almost  a  paradise. 
Crops  were  plentiful ;  trout  and  other  delicious  fish  abounded  in  the 
crystal  streams ;  fruits  grew  spontaneously,  especially  straw  hemes,  of 
which  he  says,  "  they  are  in  such  abundance  in  June  that  the  fields  and 
woods  are  dyed  red."  The  vast,  smooth  plains  encouraged  the  breeding 
of  swift  horses.  Lovelace  ordered  that  trials  of  speed  at  the  race-course 
established  by  Nicolls  should  take  place  every  May.     A  subscription-list 


77/ A'  nrrcii  nEFuuMED  cnrncii.  IW) 

was  filled  out  hy  those  who  were  (li.sj)ose(l  to  enter  hoi-ses  for  a  crown 
of  silver,  or  its  value  in  <joo(l  wheat.  The  swil'U^st  hoi-se  was  rewarded 
with  a  silver  ciiii, 

TIu-  clerLiyiueii  of  the  h'efornicd  Dutch  cluirch  in  New  York  were 
Doniinie  Schaats  at  Albany,  Dominie  Tolhemus  on  lionj,'  Island,  and 
Dominies  Megapolensis  and  Drisius,  collea<,nies  at  New  York.  Early  in 
the  sjjring,  Dominie  Megapolensis  obtained  of  the  governor  i)ermission 
to  visit  Holland,  where  he  died  suddenly,  after  twenty-seven  years  of 
ministerial  service  in  the  i)rovince.  Dominie  Drisius  was  in  feeble 
health,  and  needed  assistance,  which  could  only  be  furni.shed  by  ^1^'gidins 
Luyck,  the  Latin  teacher,  who  had  studied  divinity  in  Holland,  and  by 
the  foresinger,  Evert  Pietersen. 

In  June,  1670,  Lovelace  ottered  one  thousand  guilders  i)er  annum,  with 
a  dwelling-house  free  of  rent,  and  firewood  gratis,  to  any  minister  from 
Holland  who  would  come  and  take  charge  of  the  New  York 
church.  Dominie  Selyns,  who  was  settled  in  Wavereen,  Holland, 
induced  his  relative,  Dominie  Wilhemus  Van  Nieuwenhuysen,  to  accept 
the  liberal  proposition.  He  duly  made  the  voyage,  and,  in  the  summer 
of  1671,  was  installed  as  the  colleague  of  Dominie  Drisius.  The  new 
minister  w'as  an  accomplished  scholar,  full  of  fire  and  eloquence  in  the 
pulpit,  and  highly  acceptable  to  the  church  and  congi'egation.  The  gov- 
ernor furnished  Dominie  Drisius  with  an  allowance  from  the  public 
revenue,  and  authorized  the  consistory  to  tax  the  congTegation  for  the 
su])]iort  of  the  pulpit  and  of  the  poor.  Thus  the  English  rulers  virtually 
established  the  Dutch  Church  in  New  Y''ork.  The  elders  and  deacons 
at  this  time  were  Ex-Governor  Peter  Stuyvesant,  Oloff  S.  Van  Coit- 
landt,  Paulus  Van  der  Grist,  Boele  Pioelofsen,  Jacob  Teunissen  Kay,  and 
Jacob  Leisler.^ 

The  English  customs  in  regard  to  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  were 
as  rigid  as  those  of  the  Dutch,  and  were  sustained  by  the  habits  and 
feelings  of  the  great  mass  of  the  population.  It  was  about  1678  that 
the  statute  was  passed  in  England  which  may  be  regarded  as  the  founda- 
tion of  our  present  laws  on  the  subject ;  although,  when  the  colonies 
became  States,  each  one  legislated  more  or  less  for  itself,  and  there  was 
a  gradual  and  universal  relaxation  of  the  excessive  severity  of  the  earlier 
years.  The  statute  referred  to  forbade  any  person  laboring  or  doing  any 
business  or  work,  except  works  of  charity  or  necessity,  on  the  "  Lord's 
Day  " ;  and  it  was  enforced  to  the  letter.     Any  violation  of  it  was  vis- 

1  Brodhead,  II.  176.  Cwr.  Classis  of  Amst.  Records  of  Collegiate  R.  D.  Church,  N.  Y. 
Xew  Vork  City  Rec,  VI.  562-750.  Geii.  Ent,  IV.  47.  Council  Minutes,  III.  82.  Col. 
Doc,  II.  470,  475  ;  III.  189.     Mtirphy' s  Anthology  of  N.  N.,  146,  178. 


250  HISTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 

ited  with  immediate  punishmeut.  Ludicrous  stories  are  told  of  Puritan 
rigor :  how,  in  Massachusetts,  no  one  was  permitted  to  make  beer  on 
Saturday,  lest  it  should  "  work  "  on  Sunday ;  and  how,  in  Connecticut, 
no  man  was  allowed  to  kiss  his  wife  on  the  Sabbath.  But,  with  all  due 
allowance  for  humorous  exaggeration,  it  was  practically  the  same  in  New 
York.  The  Sabbath  was  consecrated  to  an  entire  cessation  from  worldly 
labor.  With  a  musical  peal  of  the  old  Dutch  bell  the  houses  poured 
forth  their  occupants.  Since  no  power  ever  -  decreed  adversely  to  the 
dressing  of  one's  best  on  that  day,  it  must  have  been  a  bright  and 
impressive  scene.  Gentlemen  wore  long-waisted  coats,  the  skirts  reach- 
ing almost  to  the  ankles,  with  large  silver  buttons,  sparkling  down  the 
entire  front ;  a  velvet  waistcoat  trimmed  with  silver-lace  peeped  out,  and 
the  shirt-front  was  elaborately  embroidered;  breeches  were  of  silver 
cloth  or  different  colored  silks,  according  to  the  taste  of  the  wearer ;  and 
the  shoe-buckles  were  of  silver.  Ladies  wore  jaunty  jackets  of  silk,  vel- 
vet, or  cloth,  over  different  colored  skirts.  Sleeves  were  of  the  "  mutton- 
leg  "  shape,  with  large  turned-up  white  cufl's.  Not  only  were  chains 
for  the  neck  much  in  vogue,  but  girdle-chains  of  gold  and  silver  were 
conmion,  to  which  were  suspended  costly  bound  Bibles  and  hymn-books 
for  church  use.  Brooches  and  finger-rings  also  were  much  worn.  The 
hair  was  dressed  high  and  was  frizzed  about  the  face,  and  the  bonnet  was 
very  pretty.  The  mayor  and  aldermen,  in  a  dress  that  was  peculiarly 
conspicuous,  occupied,  in  the  church,  a  pew  by  themselves.  Lovelace,  in 
the  afternoon,  attended  the  Episcopal  service,  and  occupied  the  governor's 
pew,  which  had  been  elaborately  fitted  up  by  Nicolls.  Another  pew  was 
set  apart  for  the  governor's  council. 

The  Duke  of  York  sympathized  with  any  and  every  religious  creed 
which  dissented  from  the  Church  of  England.  He  was  by  conviction  a 
Roman  Catholic ;  a  fact  which  was  not  then  without  its  value,  as  it 
served  to  protect  irregular  forms  of  worship,  and  actually  placed  him 
before  the  world  as  the  friend  of  religious  toleration.  He  permitted  the 
Lutherans  in  New  York  to  call  a  minister,  the  Eev.  Jacobus  Fabricus, 
from  Germany.  He  went  first  to  Albany.  But  his  conduct  there  was 
not  such  as  became  his  calling,  and,  complaints  having  been  made,  Love- 
lace suspended  him  froni  the  pulpit  at  tliat  place,  giving  him,  at  the  same 
time,  permission  to  preach  in  New  York.  It  was  soon  found  that,  in 
addition  to  a  dictatorial  and  quarrelsome  temper,  manifested  in  all  his 
church  relations,  he  was  constantly  abusing  his  wife.  She  spent  one 
whole  winter  in  the  garret  of  their  house,  suffering  all  the  while  from 
fever  and  ague.  She  finally  complained  to  the  government,  and  peti- 
tioned, that  since  the  house  belonged  to  herself,  that  her  husband  should 


STORY 


METROPOLIS. 


HE  HlSJOF^Y  Of=THE  CiTY  0[=  NeW  YoF^K, 

By  Mrs.  MARTHA  J.  LAMB. 


This  work  has  been  long  anticipated  with  much  interest.  Its  preparation  has  occupied  a  period  of  over  ten  years. 
In  scope  it  is  a  complete  literary  picture  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  our  great  American  metropolis.  It  is  commended 
by  scholars  to  all  classes  of  readers  as  "a  piece  of  choice  tapestry  that  will  hold  its  color  and  retain  its  intrinsic  worth 
amid  the  living  literature  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  many  of  the  popular  books  of  to-day  shall  long  ago  have  been 
dead." 

The  well-known  reputation  of  Mrs.  LAMB  for  accuracy  in  historical  detail,  as  well  as  literarj'  skill  in  weaving 
together  and  condensing  facts,  added  to  fine  perceptions  and  a  graceful  and  felicitous  charm  of  expression  giving  vitality 
and  sparkle  to  every  pictured  thought,  is  a  guarantee  that  this  valuable  work  will  be  even  more  than  it  promises,  and 
it  cannot  fail  to  take  deservedly  high  rank  among  standard  authorities. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  volume  Mrs.  LAMB  sketches,  in  outline,  the  condition  of  the  Old  World  prior  to  the 
settlement  of  the  New,  and  then  proceeds  to  give  a  careful  analysis  of  the  two  great  Commercial  Corporations  which  made 
such  a  noise  all  over  Christendom  about  that  time,  and  to  which  New  York  owes  its  origin.  Her  gifted  pen  removes  much 
of  the  dimness  and  dullness  with  which  the  early  settlement  on  Manhattan  Island  has  hitherto  been  obscured  ;  and 
the  narrative  widens  in  interest  as  the  little  colony  advances.  Indian  wars,  the  birth  of  the  city,  its  various  rulers,  its 
subjugation  by  the  English,  its  after  vicissitudes,  the  Revolution  of  1689 — with  its  causes  and  effects^— political  disturb- 
ances and  the  contijiuous  chain  of  events  which  culminated  in  the  American  Revolution,  are  all  deltly  woven  into  a 
connected  story  as  fresh  and  readable  as  a  work  of  fiction.  From  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  in  1776,  the  author 
gathers  up  the  threads,  and  gives  an  accurate,  artistic,  and  comprehensive  account  of  the  City,  in  its  successive  phases 
of  development  during  the  century,  to  its  present  prominence  at  the  time  of  the  celebration  of  the  first  national  birth- 
da''      Prominent  persons  are  introduced  in  all  the  decades,  with  choice  bits  of  family  history  and  glimpses  of  social  life. 

Mrs.  lamb  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  to  whose  unrivalled  archives  she  has  had  unre- 
strained access.  Many  of  the  old  families  of  the  City  have  freely  furnished  information  specially  interesting  to  the 
present  generation,  since  it  throws  into  the  New  History  the  charms  of  revelation.  The  book  will  contain  maps  of  the 
City  in  the  different  periods,  and  several  rare  portraits  from  original  paintings  which  have  never  before  been  engraved. 
The  illustrations  are  by  leading  artists  and  are  all  of  an  interesting  character. 


Notice     to      Subscribe  i\^s  . 

Every  Subscriber  to  The  History  of  New  York  City  is  expected  to  take  the  whole  number  of  "  Parts  "  to 
complete  the  work.  Subscribers  changing  their  residence  should  immediately  notify  the  Publishers,  or  their  Agent 
who  received  the  order,  and  give  NEW  ADDRESS  IN  FULL.  Payment  for  the  Parts  should  only  be  made  on 
delivery,  NEVER  IN  ADVANCE. 

A  strict  observance  of  these  suggestions  will  save  Subscribers  annoyance  and  loss,  and  enable  the  Publishers 
to  fill  their  orders  in  a  prompt  and  advantageous  manner. 

A.  S.  BARNES  &  CO.,  Publishers,  111  and  113  William  St.,  N.  Y. 


CHICAGO,    BOSTON, 


GENERAL     AGENCIES: 
PHILADELPHIA,  WASHINGTON 


AND   NEW   ORLEANS. 


